[2] Named for Revolutionary War leader Robert Anderson,[3] the county is located in northwestern South Carolina, along the state line of Georgia.

Anderson County is included in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

During the Civil War, the county became a center of ammunitions production for the Confederate States Army.

Cotton, corn, and various fruits and vegetables are grown along with a large poultry industry located the county.

[20] Anderson County has a Council-Administrator form of government under South Carolina law.

County Council members are elected from seven single-member districts for two-year terms.

The exceptions came in 1976 and 1980, when Southerner Jimmy Carter overwhelmingly captured the county in the former election and fairly solidly in the latter.

Early industry in the county was textile mills, processing southern cotton.

[24] As of April 2024[update], some of the top employers in the county include AnMed Health Medical Center, Anderson University, Bosch, the City of Anderson, Glen Raven, Inc., Ingles, Michelin, Walmart, and Walgreens.