Richland County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 416,147, making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat and largest community is Columbia, the state capital. The county was established on March 12, 1785. Richland County is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2020, the center of population of South Carolina was located in Richland County, in the city of Columbia. The county is also the location of the geographic center of South Carolina, southeast of Columbia. It is located in the Midlands region of South Carolina.

History

Richland County was probably named for its "rich land". The county was formed in 1785 as part of the large Camden District. A small part of Richland County was later ceded to adjacent Kershaw County in 1791. The county seat and largest city is Columbia, which is also the state capital. In 1786, the state legislature decided to move the capital from Charleston to a more central location. A site was chosen in Richland County, which is in the geographic center of the state, and a new town was laid out. Richland County's boundaries were formally incorporated on December 18, 1799. Cotton from the surrounding plantations was shipped through Columbia and later manufactured into textiles there. General William T. Sherman captured Columbia during the Civil War and his troops burned the town and parts of the county on February 17, 1865. The U. S. Army returned on friendlier terms in 1917, when Fort Jackson was established, which is now the largest and most active Initial Entry Training Center in the U.S. Army. The South Carolina State House is located in downtown Columbia.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.90%, is water. Richland County is situated in the center of South Carolina.

National protected area Congaree National Park

State and local protected areas/sites Harbison State Forest Nipper Creek Heritage Preserve Riverbanks Zoo and Garden Sesquicentennial State Park South Carolina State Fair South Carolina State Museum Wateree Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area

Major bodies of water Broad River Congaree River Lake Murray Little River Saluda River Wateree River

Adjacent counties Kershaw County – northeast Fairfield County – north Sumter County – east Lexington County – west Calhoun County – south Newberry County – northwest

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Richland County, South Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)159,043157,969157,843174,267172,64458.96%55.29%49.22%45.32%41.49%Black or African American alone (NH)103,055118,652143,773174,549188,14138.21%41.53%44.83%45.40%45.21%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4316577099878880.16%0.23%0.22%0.26%0.21%Asian alone (NH)2,2313,6805,4418,43311,3300.83%1.29%1.70%2.19%2.72%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census228372427xx0.07%0.10%0.10%Other race alone (NH)6471154425621,8720.24%0.04%0.14%0.15%0.45%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census3,5286,69714,750xx1.10%1.74%3.54%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4,3284,6478,71318,63726,0951.60%1.63%2.72%4.85%6.27%Total269,735285,720320,677384,504416,147 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 416,147 people and 165,679 households, while 90,802 families resided in the county. The median age was 35.7 years, 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18, and 14.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 42.6% White, 45.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.8% from some other race, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.3% of the population.

91.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 8.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 182,408 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 59.4% were owner-occupied and 40.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.7%.

2010 census At the 2010 census, 384,504 people, 145,194 households, and 89,357 families were residing in the county. The population density was . There were 161,725 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 45.3% White, 48.9% African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 9.6% were German, 8.6% were English, 7.6% were Irish, and 7.1% were American.

Of the 145,194 households, 32.9% had children under 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.5% were not families, and 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 32.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,922 and for a family was $61,622. Males had a median income of $42,453 versus $34,012 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,805. About 10.0% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over. Law and government

Richland County is governed by a county council, who hold concurrent four-year terms. Richland County is governed under the Council-Administrator form of government, which is very similar to the council–manager form of government. The major difference between the council–manager and council–administrator forms of government is the title of the chief executive.

County council (as of 2026) District Council person District 1 Jason Branham District 2 Derrek Pugh (vice chair) District 3 Tyra Little District 4 Paul Livingston District 5 Allison Terracio District 6 Don Weaver District 7 Gretchen Cooper District 8 Tish Dozier Alleyne District 9 Jesica Mackey (chair) District 10 Cheryl English District 11 Chakisse Newton

The South Carolina Department of Corrections, headquartered in Columbia and in Richland County,"Institutions ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. operates several correctional facilities in Columbia and in Richland County. They include the Broad River Correctional Institution,"Broad River Correctional Institution ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. the Goodman Correctional Institution,"Goodman Correctional Institution ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution,"Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional Institution ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "4450 Broad River Road Columbia, SC 29210-4096" the Stevenson Correctional Institution,"Stevenson Correctional Institution ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. and the Campbell Pre-Release Center."Campbell Pre-Release Center ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. Graham houses the state's female death row."Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional Institution ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "The institution also functions as a major special management unit with the ability to house female death row inmates and county safekeepers." The State of South Carolina execution chamber is located at Broad River. From 1990 to 1997 Broad River housed the state's male death row."Death Row/Capital Punishment ." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.

In March 2008, the Richland County Sheriff's Department acquired an armored personnel carrier equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun.S.C. Sheriff's Department Armored Vehicle with Belt-Fed Machine Gun Reason magazine criticized the acquisition as "overkill".Sheriff Lott's New Toy by Radley Balko September 1, 2008

Politics Richland County was one of the first areas of South Carolina to break away from a Solid South voting pattern. From 1948 to 1988, it only supported the official Democratic candidate for president once, in 1976. It voted for splinter Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in 1948, and for unpledged electors in 1956.

Since 1992, Richland County has been one of the stronger Democratic bastions in South Carolina, following the trend of most urban counties across the country.

Economy

In 2022, the GDP was $32 billion (about $75,222 per capita), and the real GDP was $27.3 billion (about $64,302 per capita) in chained 2017 dollars.

+Top ten employers (2019)RankEmployerEmployees1Prisma Health16,0002Blue Cross Blue Shield10,0003University of South Carolina7,0004South Carolina Department of Corrections5,0005Richland County School District One5,0006South Carolina Department of Transportation5,0007South Carolina Department of Mental Health5,0008South Carolina Department of Social Services5,0009Richland County School District Two4,00010South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control4,000

+ Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Richland County, South Carolina - Q3 2023 Industry Employment Counts Employment Percentage (%) Average Annual Wage ($) Accommodation and Food Services 21,045 9.5 22,100 Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 16,431 7.4 41,652 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 807 0.4 48,776 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 3,934 1.8 22,412 Construction 6,934 3.1 69,108 Educational Services 19,160 8.6 57,252 Finance and Insurance 20,736 9.4 74,516 Health Care and Social Assistance 33,974 15.3 71,812 Information 2,769 1.2 75,348 Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,375 0.6 98,956 Manufacturing 12,069 5.4 70,980 Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 122 0.1 78,208 Other Services (except Public Administration) 6,864 3.1 44,876 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 13,750 6.2 88,556 Public Administration 24,376 11.0 61,620 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 3,862 1.7 57,252 Retail Trade 20,720 9.4 36,920 Transportation and Warehousing 4,567 2.1 59,488 Utilities 701 0.3 89,076 Wholesale Trade 7,335 3.3 86,944 Total 221,531 100.0% 58,839

Transportation Interstates (Interstate 20) travels from west to east and connects Columbia to Atlanta and Augusta in the west and Florence in the east. It serves the nearby towns and suburbs of Pelion, Lexington, West Columbia, Sandhill, Pontiac, and Elgin. Interstate 20 is also used by travelers heading to Myrtle Beach, although the interstate's eastern terminus is in Florence. (Interstate 26) travels from northwest to southeast and connects the Columbia area to the other two major population centers of South Carolina: the Greenville–Spartanburg area in the northwestern part of the state and the North Charleston–Charleston area in the southeastern part of the state. (Interstate 77) begins in Lexington county and ends in Cleveland, Ohio, and is frequently used by travelers on the east coast heading to or from Florida. (Interstate 126) branches off from I-26 and leads into downtown Columbia and provides access to Riverbanks Zoo.

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