The map above shows South Carolina and Tennessee side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
South Carolina vs Tennessee Geography
Land area
- South Carolina has a land area of 30,064 square miles (77,866 km²), while Tennessee has 41,224 square miles (106,770 km²).
- Tennessee's land area is 1.4 times (37%) larger than South Carolina's.
Total area
- South Carolina: 32,024 square miles (82,940 km²) vs Tennessee: 42,130 square miles (109,116 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Tennessee's total area is 1.3 times (32%) larger than South Carolina's.
Length
- South Carolina is 236 miles (380 km) long from north to south; Tennessee is 191 miles (308 km).
- South Carolina's north-south length is 1.2 times (24%) longer than Tennessee's.
Width
- South Carolina spans 279 miles (449 km) east to west; Tennessee spans 497 miles (800 km).
- Tennessee's east-west width is 1.8 times (78%) wider than South Carolina's.
Highest point
- South Carolina's highest point is Sassafras Mountain at 3,497 feet (1,066 m); Tennessee's is Clingmans Dome at 6,624 feet (2,019 m).
- Clingmans Dome is 3,127 feet higher than Sassafras Mountain.
Lowest point
- South Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Tennessee's is Mississippi River at 178 feet.
- South Carolina's lowest point is 178 feet lower.
South Carolina vs Tennessee Population and History
Population
- South Carolina has a population of 5,478,831 (2024), while Tennessee has 7,227,750 (2024).
- Tennessee's population is 1.3 times (32%) larger than South Carolina's.
Population density
- South Carolina: 182.2 people per square mile vs Tennessee: 175.3.
- South Carolina and Tennessee have about the same population density.
Biggest city
- South Carolina's biggest city is Charleston with 157,665 people; Tennessee's is Nashville with 704,963.
- Nashville's population is 4.5 times (347%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- South Carolina's largest metropolitan area is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370 people) vs Tennessee's Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (2,150,553).
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's population is 1.3 times (34%) larger than Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area's.
History
- South Carolina: Admitted to the Union on May 23, 1788, as the 8th state.
- Tennessee: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state.
- In its current form, South Carolina is the older of the two by 8 years.
South Carolina vs Tennessee Economy
GDP
- South Carolina's GDP is $357.1 billion (2024) vs Tennessee's $561.2 billion.
- Tennessee's economic output is 1.6 times (57%) larger than South Carolina's.
GDP per capita
- South Carolina: $65,173 per person vs Tennessee: $77,645.
- Tennessee's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (19%) higher than South Carolina's.
Average income
- South Carolina: $60,776 vs Tennessee: $66,504 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Tennessee's average income is 1.1 times (9%) higher than South Carolina's.
South Carolina vs Tennessee Counties
Number of counties
- South Carolina has 46 counties, while Tennessee has 95.
- Tennessee's county count is 2.1 times (107%) higher than South Carolina's.
Biggest county by area
- South Carolina's largest county is Horry County at 1,133 square miles; Tennessee's is Shelby County at 753 square miles.
- Horry County's land area is 1.5 times (51%) larger than Shelby County's.
Smallest county by area
- South Carolina: McCormick County (359 sq mi) vs Tennessee: Trousdale County (114 sq mi).
- McCormick County's land area is 3.1 times (214%) larger than Trousdale County's.
Most populous county
- South Carolina: Greenville County (570,745 people) vs Tennessee: Shelby County (910,530 people).
- Shelby County's population is 1.6 times (60%) larger than Greenville County's.
Least populous county
- South Carolina: Allendale County (7,551 people) vs Tennessee: Pickett County (5,108 people).
- Allendale County's population is 1.5 times (48%) larger than Pickett County's.
Richest county
- South Carolina: Charleston County ($90,550 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Williamson County ($139,704).
- Williamson County's income is 1.5 times (54%) richer than Charleston County's.
Poorest county
- South Carolina: Marlboro County ($41,332 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Lake County ($31,572).
- Marlboro County's income is 1.3 times (31%) richer than Lake County's.
South Carolina vs Tennessee Taxes
State income tax
- South Carolina has a top income tax rate of 6%, while Tennessee has no state income tax.
- South Carolina's top rate is 6 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- South Carolina: 0.45% effective rate vs Tennessee: 0.45% of home value per year.
- The two are essentially equal.
Sales tax
- South Carolina: 7.49% combined state and average local rate vs Tennessee: 9.61%.
- Tennessee's combined rate is 2.12 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
South Carolina official website · Tennessee official website
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More Size Comparisons
All South Carolina size comparisons · All Tennessee 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.