Richland remains the second-largest county in the state; Columbia, the largest city | The State

Richland County’s population has continued to grow over the past four years, with the county posting an estimated population of just more than 400,000 residents, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, to be released Thursday.

That’s second only to Greenville County, which boasts just more than 480,000.

Columbia continues to be the largest city in the state, with an estimated 133,358 residents. Charleston is the second-largest, with an estimated 127,999 people living there.

At 401,566, Richland County has the largest population in the Midlands. Lexington County has 277,888 residents and Kershaw County, 63,161.

But Lexington County saw the most growth from 2013 to 2014, adding 4,284 residents, compared to just more than 3,500 in Richland County and just more than 1,000 in Kershaw County.

County-by-county data collected in 2014 shows that the state’s three largest counties are Greenville with 482,752 residents, Richland County with 401,566, and Charleston County with 381,015.

The city of Columbia has seen an estimated growth of 2.6 percent in the past four years, up from 130,038 inhabitants as of April 1, 2010, to 133,358 inhabitants in 2013, which is the latest available data, according to the bureau’s website.

The median household income in Columbia is $41,344, compared to the state’s median household income of $44,779.

There are also 23.8 percent of people living below the poverty level in Columbia, compared to 18.1 percent of people living below the poverty level throughout the state.

Since 2010, South Carolina has seen an estimated 4.5 percent population increase, to 4,832,482 estimated residents in 2014. That’s up from 4,625,364 estimated residents as of April 1, 2010, according to the data.

Seven of the state’s counties rank in the top 100 of the nation’s fastest growing counties from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014:

▪ 40: Berkeley County – 177,850 to 198,205

▪ 45: Horry County – 269,291 to 298,832

▪ 67: Jasper County – 24,777 to 27,170

▪ 80: Charleston County – 350,204 to 381,015

▪ 86: Dorchester County – 136,589 to 148,469

▪ 97: York County – 226,071 to 245,346

▪ 99: Lancaster County – 76,652 to 83,160