The local economy of South Carolina and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.1%
-0.5 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Charleston County 3.5%, highest Williamsburg County 7.1%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,296
+4.0%vs a year ago
2,326,599 jobs at 193,065 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
46,439
+2.9%this year vs last year
Most in Horry County 6,253, Greenville County 5,036.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+59,037
+14.7 per 1,000residents
180,652 moved in and 121,615 moved out. Most newcomers came from North Carolina.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
South Carolina gas price
$4.05
+$1.23vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Dillon County $3.93, highest Calhoun County $4.19. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, South Carolina, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
123K
+1.8%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.07M
+2.7%vs 2022
Largest sector: Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (14.7%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$109.5B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$52,961
Highest sector: Utilities $103,705.
Per employee per year
Share of South Carolina's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Employment Services | 202,438 | $45,183 |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 200,044 | $21,174 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 75,488 | $69,052 |
| Grocery Stores | 53,475 | $23,995 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 43,261 | $28,828 |
| Offices of Physicians | 39,615 | $101,196 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 38,768 | $34,155 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 34,610 | $100,483 |
| Religious Organizations | 32,780 | $24,338 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 29,644 | $63,088 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 27,549 | $32,105 |
| Warehousing and Storage | 27,508 | $47,761 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for South Carolina, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for South Carolina is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for South Carolina, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in South Carolina was 4.1% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.6% a year earlier. 2,566,682 people were employed out of a labor force of 2,675,730. Among its counties, Charleston County had the lowest rate (3.5%) and Williamsburg County the highest (7.1%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in South Carolina was $1,296 in Q1 2026, up 4.0% from a year earlier, across 2,326,599 jobs at 193,065 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 3,724 new homes in South Carolina in August 2026 (3,295 single-family and 416 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 33,059, up 2.9% from the same months last year, and 46,439 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Horry County (6,253), Greenville County (5,036), Spartanburg County (4,357) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 180,652 people moved to South Carolina and 121,615 moved away, a net gain of 59,037 (+14.7 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and most people who left went to North Carolina, Georgia, Florida.
Regular gasoline in South Carolina averaged $4.05 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.23 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.80. Among its counties, Dillon County had the lowest regular price ($3.93) and Calhoun County the highest ($4.19).
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (303,812 employees), Retail Trade (269,094 employees), Health Care and Social Assistance (267,286 employees) were the largest sectors in South Carolina in 2023. In all, 122,958 business locations employed 2,067,143 people at an average pay of $52,961 a year.