Ham radio operators in South Carolina: new licenses by county
10,668 licensed amateur radio operators; 376 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 20
- New hams · last 12 months
- 376
- ▼ 4% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 10,668
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 220
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 112
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 155
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 564
About ham radio in South Carolina
New licenses held steady in South Carolina: 376 new hams in the past 12 months (down 4% from the year before). South Carolina ranks #22 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Spartanburg County leads the state with 37 new hams. Among larger counties, Lexington County is growing fastest. Technicians make up 45% of the state’s licensees, below the U.S. average of 48%, a sign of an experienced community with many HF operators.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | 33 |
| Dec 2025 | 34 |
| Jan 2026 | 25 |
| Feb 2026 | 47 |
| Mar 2026 | 35 |
| Apr 2026 | 43 |
| May 2026 | 36 |
| Jun 2026 | 49 |
| Jul 2026 | 29 |
| Aug 2026 | 23 |
| Sep 2026 | 22 |
| Total | 377 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 4,774 | 45% | 48% |
| General | 2,801 | 26% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 2,517 | 24% | 21% |
| Advanced | 389 | 4% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 187 | 2% | 2% |
Bar = South Carolina share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 91 operators upgraded to General and 109 to Amateur Extra.
How South Carolina compares
#22 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 35.2 | 32.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 20.6 | 14.7 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 52.9 | 57.3 |
376 new hams in South Carolina this past year. Get next month’s list free.
Sign Up Free →Top 10 South Carolina counties for new hams
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spartanburg County | 37 | ▼ 10% | 722 | 51.2 |
| 2 | York County | 31 | ▲ 94% | 714 | 43.4 |
| 3 | Greenville County | 27 | ▼ 41% | 1,182 | 22.8 |
| 4 | Berkeley County | 25 | ▼ 17% | 501 | 49.9 |
| 5 | Lexington County | 25 | ▲ 14% | 768 | 32.6 |
| 6 | Dorchester County | 24 | 0% | 381 | 63.0 |
| 7 | Charleston County | 19 | ▼ 44% | 759 | 25.0 |
| 8 | Horry County | 17 | ▼ 35% | 660 | 25.8 |
| 9 | Lancaster County | 16 | — | 222 | 72.1 |
| 10 | Anderson County | 15 | ▼ 25% | 442 | 33.9 |
— in Change means fewer than 10 new hams the year before.
All South Carolina counties
23 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Aiken County8 new hams in 12 months
- Anderson County15 new hams in 12 months
- Beaufort County14 new hams in 12 months
- Berkeley County25 new hams in 12 months
- Charleston County19 new hams in 12 months
- Cherokee County2 new hams in 12 months
- Chesterfield County5 new hams in 12 months
- Darlington County3 new hams in 12 months
- Dorchester County24 new hams in 12 months
- Florence County5 new hams in 12 months
- Greenville County27 new hams in 12 months
- Horry County17 new hams in 12 months
- Kershaw County4 new hams in 12 months
- Lancaster County16 new hams in 12 months
- Laurens County5 new hams in 12 months
- Lexington County25 new hams in 12 months
- Oconee County7 new hams in 12 months
- Orangeburg County2 new hams in 12 months
- Pickens County14 new hams in 12 months
- Richland County14 new hams in 12 months
- Spartanburg County37 new hams in 12 months
- Sumter County2 new hams in 12 months
- York County31 new hams in 12 months
Smaller South Carolina counties
These 23 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
Show all 23 smaller counties
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County | 38 | 3 |
| Allendale County | 4 | 0 |
| Bamberg County | 16 | 0 |
| Barnwell County | 24 | 1 |
| Calhoun County | 41 | 2 |
| Chester County | 81 | 3 |
| Clarendon County | 37 | 3 |
| Colleton County | 67 | 2 |
| Dillon County | 16 | 0 |
| Edgefield County | 90 | 3 |
| Fairfield County | 37 | 2 |
| Georgetown County | 103 | 0 |
| Greenwood County | 127 | 3 |
| Hampton County | 15 | 0 |
| Jasper County | 50 | 0 |
| Lee County | 26 | 1 |
| Marion County | 37 | 0 |
| Marlboro County | 21 | 1 |
| McCormick County | 18 | 0 |
| Newberry County | 73 | 2 |
| Saluda County | 37 | 0 |
| Union County | 42 | 1 |
| Williamsburg County | 16 | 1 |
Neighboring states
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in South Carolina
How many ham radio operators are in South Carolina?
10,668 active amateur radio licensees are on file for South Carolina as of Oct 1, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in South Carolina last year?
376 people in South Carolina received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 1, 2026.
Which South Carolina counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: Spartanburg County (37), York County (31) and Greenville County (27).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
100% of South Carolina licensees could be matched to a county.