South Carolina Area Codes
6 active area codes · Charleston · Population around 5,490,316
South Carolina has 6 active area codes, serving cities like Charleston, Columbia, and North Charleston. Of those, 6 are overlays covering ground another code already covers, which is why local calls there use all ten digits. The newest, 821, has been in service since August 19, 2024. Each code below links to its cities, carriers, timezone, and coverage map.
South Carolina Area Code Map
What area codes does South Carolina have?
- 803OverlayColumbiaEastern Time (ET) · 161 cities · 1,747,102
- 821OverlayGreenvilleEastern Time (ET) · 123 cities · 1,534,628
- 839OverlayColumbiaEastern Time (ET) · 161 cities · 1,747,102
- 843OverlayCharlestonEastern Time (ET) · 111 cities · 1,836,695
- 854OverlayCharlestonEastern Time (ET) · 111 cities · 1,836,695
- 864OverlayGreenvilleEastern Time (ET) · 123 cities · 1,534,628
More than one of these codes covers 46 of the 46 counties in South Carolina, and one county is covered by 4 of them. Each card counts the people inside that code's own boundary at the 2020 census. Adding all 6 gives 10,236,850, against the 5,118,425 the same census counts in those counties, because 5,118,425 residents fall inside more than one code.
Which cities are the largest in South Carolina?
How many phone prefixes does South Carolina use?
The area codes in South Carolina hold 2,489 assigned prefixes between them, listed under 85 distinct carrier names. A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a single carrier. One of the 6 codes here — 821 — is newer than the NANPA extract behind these numbers, so its prefixes are not counted above.
Sources: City populations – U.S. Census Bureau PEP, Vintage 2024 (SUB-IP-EST2024-POP). State populations – the same program, Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025-ALLDATA). Area-code footprint and county populations – 2020 Census Centers of Population, mapped against NANP area code boundaries. The share of each city inside a code is measured the same way, against Census place boundaries from the Census Bureau's TIGERweb service. Area code assignments – NANPA CO Code data. See our data methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many area codes does South Carolina have?
South Carolina has 6 active area codes: 803, 821, 839, 843, 854, 864.
What is the main area code for South Carolina?
Of the 6 area codes in South Carolina, 843 is the oldest one still serving Charleston, its largest city. 843 has been in service since March 22, 1998.
What are the largest cities in South Carolina?
The largest cities in South Carolina include Charleston, Columbia, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Rock Hill.
What is the total population of South Carolina?
South Carolina has an estimated total population of 5,490,316 based on US Census PEP 2024 data.
Do I have to dial ten digits in South Carolina?
In the parts of South Carolina covered by an overlay, yes. 6 of the 6 area codes here cover ground another code already covers, and where two codes share an area, local calls need the area code as well as the seven-digit number.
Why does South Carolina have 6 area codes?
They arrived one at a time rather than all at once: 843 has been in service since March 22, 1998. 6 of the 6 are overlays, laid over a code that already covered the same ground instead of splitting its map in two. The most recent is 821, in service since August 19, 2024.
What is the newest area code in South Carolina?
821, in service since August 19, 2024.
Is my county covered by more than one area code in South Carolina?
It may be: more than one area code covers 46 of the 46 counties in South Carolina, and one county there is covered by 4 of them. The table above shows which codes reach each of the largest cities.