The map above shows Alaska and South Carolina side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alaska vs South Carolina Geography
Land area
- Alaska has a land area of 571,242 square miles (1,479,509 km²), while South Carolina has 30,064 square miles (77,866 km²).
- Alaska's land area is 19.0 times larger than South Carolina's.
Total area
- Alaska: 665,725 square miles (1,724,220 km²) vs South Carolina: 32,024 square miles (82,940 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alaska's total area is 20.8 times larger than South Carolina's.
Length
- Alaska is 1,201 miles (1,933 km) long from north to south; South Carolina is 236 miles (380 km).
- Alaska's north-south length is 5.1 times (409%) longer than South Carolina's.
Width
- Alaska spans 1,544 miles (2,485 km) east to west; South Carolina spans 279 miles (449 km).
- Alaska's east-west width is 5.5 times (453%) wider than South Carolina's.
Highest point
- Alaska's highest point is Denali at 20,235 feet (6,168 m); South Carolina's is Sassafras Mountain at 3,497 feet (1,066 m).
- Denali is 16,738 feet higher than Sassafras Mountain.
Lowest point
- Alaska's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; South Carolina's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
Alaska vs South Carolina Population and History
Population
- Alaska has a population of 740,133 (2024), while South Carolina has 5,478,831 (2024).
- South Carolina's population is 7.4 times (640%) larger than Alaska's.
Population density
- Alaska: 1.3 people per square mile vs South Carolina: 182.2.
- South Carolina's population density is 140.2 times higher than Alaska's.
Biggest city
- Alaska's biggest city is Anchorage with 289,600 people; South Carolina's is Charleston with 157,665.
- Anchorage's population is 1.8 times (84%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Alaska's largest metropolitan area is Anchorage, AK metro area (407,213 people) vs South Carolina's Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370).
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's population is 7.1 times (608%) larger than Anchorage, AK metro area's.
History
- Alaska: Admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959, as the 49th state.
- South Carolina: Admitted to the Union on May 23, 1788, as the 8th state.
- In its current form, South Carolina is the older of the two by 171 years.
Alaska vs South Carolina Economy
GDP
- Alaska's GDP is $71.6 billion (2024) vs South Carolina's $357.1 billion.
- South Carolina's economic output is 5.0 times (399%) larger than Alaska's.
GDP per capita
- Alaska: $96,695 per person vs South Carolina: $65,173.
- Alaska's GDP per capita is 1.5 times (48%) higher than South Carolina's.
Average income
- Alaska: $76,234 vs South Carolina: $60,776 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Alaska's average income is 1.3 times (25%) higher than South Carolina's.
Alaska vs South Carolina Counties
Number of counties
- Alaska has 30 counties, while South Carolina has 46.
- South Carolina's county count is 1.5 times (53%) higher than Alaska's.
Biggest county by area
- Alaska's largest county is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area at 145,769 square miles; South Carolina's is Horry County at 1,133 square miles.
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area's land area is 128.6 times larger than Horry County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alaska: Skagway Municipality (443 sq mi) vs South Carolina: McCormick County (359 sq mi).
- Skagway Municipality's land area is 1.2 times (23%) larger than McCormick County's.
Most populous county
- Alaska: Anchorage Municipality (289,600 people) vs South Carolina: Greenville County (570,745 people).
- Greenville County's population is 2.0 times (97%) larger than Anchorage Municipality's.
Least populous county
- Alaska: Yakutat City and Borough (690 people) vs South Carolina: Allendale County (7,551 people).
- Allendale County's population is 10.9 times larger than Yakutat City and Borough's.
Richest county
- Alaska: Bristol Bay Borough ($158,406 per capita income) vs South Carolina: Charleston County ($90,550).
- Bristol Bay Borough's income is 1.7 times (75%) richer than Charleston County's.
Poorest county
- Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area ($37,765 per capita income) vs South Carolina: Marlboro County ($41,332).
- Marlboro County's income is 1.1 times (9%) richer than Kusilvak Census Area's.
Alaska vs South Carolina Taxes
State income tax
- Alaska has no state income tax, while South Carolina has a top income tax rate of 6%.
- South Carolina's top rate is 6 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alaska: 1.06% effective rate vs South Carolina: 0.45% of home value per year.
- Alaska's rate is 0.61 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alaska: 1.82% combined state and average local rate vs South Carolina: 7.49%.
- South Carolina's combined rate is 5.67 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alaska official website · South Carolina official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alaska size comparisons · All South Carolina size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.