Richland County, South Carolina

Richland County
County
Skyline of Columbia Richland County Justice Center South Carolina State House University of South Carolina Gervais Street Bridge over the Congaree River Congaree National Park Sesquicentennial State Park
Flag Seal Logo
Motto:  "Uniquely Urban...Uniquely Rural"
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°02′N 80°54′W / 34.03°N 80.90°W / 34.03; -80.90
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	March 12, 1785
Named for	The county's "rich land"[1]
Seat	Columbia
Largest community	Columbia
Area
• Total	771.96 sq mi (1,999.4 km2)
• Land	757.28 sq mi (1,961.3 km2)
• Water	14.68 sq mi (38.0 km2)  1.90%
Population  (2020)
• Total	416,147
• Estimate  (2023)	425,138
• Density	549.53/sq mi (212.17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 6th
Website	www.richlandcountysc.gov

Richland County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 416,147,^[2] making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat and largest community is Columbia,^[3] the state capital. The county was established on March 12, 1785.^[4] 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.^[5] The county is also the location of the geographic center of South Carolina, southeast of Columbia.^[6]