| Dates | 3 May – 8 September 1978 |
|---|---|
| Administrator | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | First-class cricket |
| Tournament format | League system |
| Champions | Kent (6th title) |
| Participants | 17 |
| Matches | 184 |
| Most runs | Dennis Amiss, (Warwickshire) 2,001 |
| Most wickets | Derek Underwood, (Kent) 110 |
The 1978 Schweppes County Championship was the 79th officially organised running of the County Championship. Kent won the Championship title. The Championship was sponsored by Schweppes for the first time.
| Team | P | W | L | D | Bat | Bowl | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kent | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 56 | 80 | 292 |
| 2 | Essex | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 55 | 74 | 273 |
| 3 | Middlesex | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 48 | 75 | 255 |
| 4 | Yorkshire | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 58 | 55 | 233 |
| 5 | Somerset | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 44 | 76 | 228 |
| 6 | Leicestershire | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 57 | 68 | 173 |
| 7 | Nottinghamshire | 22 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 63 | 67 | 166 |
| 8 | Hampshire | 21 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 53 | 60 | 161 |
| 9 | Sussex | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 39 | 64 | 151* |
| 10 | Gloucestershire | 21 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 42 | 55 | 145 |
| 11 | Warwickshire | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 39 | 56 | 143 |
| 12 | Lancashire | 21 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 28 | 59 | 135 |
| 13 | Glamorgan | 22 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 43 | 54 | 133* |
| 14 | Derbyshire | 22 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 33 | 63 | 132 |
| 15 | Worcestershire | 22 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 56 | 51 | 131 |
| 16 | Surrey | 22 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 36 | 58 | 130 |
| 17 | Northamptonshire | 20 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 41 | 56 | 121 |