- Nickname: Palmetto State
- Motto: Animism opibusque parati (Prepared
in mind and resources); Dum spiro spero (While I
breathe, I hope)
- Flower: Carolina jessamine
- Bird: Carolina wren
- Area: 32,020 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 40th)
- Elevation: Ranges from sea level to 3,560 feet
above sea level
- Climate: Humid and subtropical, with long, hot
summers, short, mild winters, and abundant rainfall
- Admitted to Union: May 23, 1788
- Capital: Columbia
- Head Official: Governor Mark Sanford (R) (until
2007)
- Population
- 1980: 3,122,000
- 1990: 3,486,703
- 2000: 4,012,012
- 2004 estimate: 4,198,068
- Percent change, 1990–2000: 15.1%
- U.S. rank in 2004: 25th
- Percent of residents born in state: 64.0% (2000)
- Density: 133.2 people per square mile (2000)
- 2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 217,569
- Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)
- White: 2,695,560
- Black or African American: 1,185,216
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 13,718
- Asian: 36,014
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 1,628
- Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 95,076
- Other: 39,926
- Age Characteristics (2000)
- Population under 5 years old: 264,679
- Population 5 to 19 years old: 871,099
- Percent of population 65 years and over: 12.1%
- Median age: 35.4 years (2000)
- Vital Statistics
- Total number of births (2003): 55,869
- Total number of deaths (2003): 38,060 (infant
deaths, 451)
- AIDS cases reported through 2003: 6,379
- Economy
- Major industries: Textiles, tourism, chemicals,
agriculture, lumber, machinery, automobiles, manufacturing
- Unemployment rate: 6.7% (December 2004)
- Per capita income: $26,139 (2003; U.S. rank:
43rd)
- Median household income: $38,791 (3-year average,
2001-2003)
- Percentage of persons below poverty level: 14.0%
(3-year average, 2001-2003)
- Income tax rate: Ranges from 2.5% to 7.0%
- Sales tax rate: 5.0%
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