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
$4.02
+$1.22vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Horry County $3.90, highest Calhoun County $4.17. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, South Carolina, October 10, 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).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $96,242 a year in 2,972 certified H-1B filings for jobs in South Carolina, up 2.9% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Software Developers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$96,242
+2.9%vs 2024
Middle half: $73,418 to $127,190.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
2,972
+6.9%vs 2024
3,168 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$119,687
Software Developers, 655 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$42,500
+27.7%vs 2024
906 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in South Carolina, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 655 | $119,687 |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians | 239 | $103,210 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 143 | $60,000 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 135 | $91,675 |
| Industrial Engineers | 127 | $92,000 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 122 | $98,192 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 114 | $56,394 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 96 | $55,092 |
| Data Scientists | 88 | $95,414 |
| Physicians, All Other | 85 | $285,400 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Clemson University | 82 | 10 |
| Richland County School District One | 81 | 3 |
| Capgemini America, Inc. CAP.PA | 80 | 11 |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. CTSH | 80 | 11 |
| Medical University of South Carolina and Affiliates | 71 | 8 |
| LPL Financial LLC | 62 | 3 |
| Lexington County School District One | 51 | 1 |
| University of South Carolina | 49 | 4 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited TCS.NS | 40 | 5 |
| Orangeburg County School District | 39 | 9 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Mill | 571 | $113,797 | $99,000 to $138,480 |
| Columbia | 342 | $89,220 | $67,554 to $117,700 |
| Greenville | 264 | $96,500 | $77,730 to $120,000 |
| Indian Land | 141 | $127,823 | $112,986 to $148,108 |
| Charleston | 112 | $101,628 | $69,798 to $145,764 |
| Lexington | 101 | $72,142 | $61,557 to $103,834 |
| Florence | 79 | $93,500 | $76,000 to $135,100 |
| Clemson | 70 | $77,500 | $60,694 to $91,615 |
| Greer | 64 | $108,862 | $86,809 to $130,746 |
| Spartanburg | 64 | $97,250 | $76,777 to $126,412 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of South Carolina added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
South Carolina has had 51 declared disasters and emergencies since 1954, 41 of them since 2000, most often Hurricane. Flood insurance has paid $1.0 billion on 49,622 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 1989 ($361.9 million).
Declared disasters
41
21 major disasters. Most often Hurricane (21 since 1954).
Since 2000, all types; 51 since 1954
Flood claims paid
$449.6M
15,590 claims. Biggest year 1989 ($361.9M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
194,772
Average premium $707 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
29
Horry County, latest Jan 23, 2026.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for South Carolina, 1954 to today
Claims paid in South Carolina by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1954
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 15 of 46.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horry County | 12,525 | $338.2M | 50,260 |
| 2 | Charleston County | 19,289 | $312.2M | 64,913 |
| 3 | Georgetown County | 4,748 | $114.6M | 8,502 |
| 4 | Beaufort County | 4,968 | $80.8M | 50,449 |
| 5 | Richland County | 1,360 | $60.5M | 2,450 |
| 6 | Marion County | 492 | $21.5M | 248 |
| 7 | Dorchester County | 779 | $16.9M | 3,479 |
| 8 | Greenville County | 857 | $14.7M | 1,106 |
| 9 | Lexington County | 693 | $14.2M | 1,450 |
| 10 | Berkeley County | 619 | $8.77M | 7,306 |
| 11 | Sumter County | 292 | $7.65M | 579 |
| 12 | Colleton County | 766 | $7.24M | 1,975 |
| 13 | Florence County | 399 | $7.02M | 535 |
| 14 | Dillon County | 102 | $4.89M | 92 |
| 15 | Orangeburg County | 122 | $3.48M | 211 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in South Carolina, from official public data.
Official public data lists 5,952 facilities in South Carolina with records since 2010, 5,906 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at New-Indy Catawba LLC in Catawba ($1,107,000). 132 large facilities reported 35.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, up 0.5% from 2022.
Facilities with records
5,952
5,906 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$1.11M
New-Indy Catawba LLC, Catawba.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
35.2M t
+0.5%vs 2022
132 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
8.51M t
Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station, Pineville.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| New-Indy Catawba LLC Catawba | $1,107,000 | 7 |
| 3V INC. Georgetown | $731,250 | 5 |
| Westinghouse Electric Company Llc/Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility Hopkins | $721,576 | 0 |
| Alumax of South Carolina INC Goose Creek | $715,057 | 35 |
| China Jushi USA Corporation Columbia | $410,000 | 10 |
| Chapel Gate Subdivision - D.R. Horton Rock Hill | $400,000 | 0 |
| Pl Developments - Tank Farm Piedmont | $350,000 | 11 |
| Holcim (US) INC. Holly Hill | $263,000 | 8 |
| Ameresco Palmetto LLC Wellford | $231,000 | 14 |
| Mankiewicz Coatings, LLC Charleston | $225,000 | 9 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station Pineville | 8,508,886 |
| Santee Cooper Winyah Generating Station Georgetown | 2,904,225 |
| Santee Cooper John S. Rainey Generating Station Iva | 2,632,605 |
| W S Lee Williamston | 2,338,387 |
| Jasper County Generating Facility Hardeeville | 2,054,257 |
| Williams Goose Creek | 2,024,628 |
| Wateree Eastover | 1,642,568 |
| Holcim (US) INC. Holly Hill | 1,205,311 |
| Columbia Energy Center Gaston | 1,118,569 |
| Cope Station Cope | 968,630 |
Large facilities in South Carolina, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in South Carolina, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Century Aluminum Company CENX | 1 | $715K | 422K |
| The Boeing Company BA | 6 | $18K | - |
| Dominion Energy, Inc. D | 16 | $18K | 9.11M |
| Smurfit Westrock Plc SW | 3 | $17K | 743K |
| Nucor Corporation NUE | 7 | $10K | 784K |
| Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW | 17 | $8,500 | - |
| Republic Services, Inc. RSG | 3 | $6,000 | 229K |
| The Home Depot, Inc. HD | 21 | $1,900 | - |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
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 $4.02 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $1.22 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.80. Among its counties, Horry County had the lowest regular price ($3.90) and Calhoun County the highest ($4.17).
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.
$96,242 a year was the median pay offered in 2,972 certified H-1B filings for jobs in South Carolina in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 2.9% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $73,418 to $127,190. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
Clemson University (82), Richland County School District One (81), Capgemini America, Inc. (80), Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. (80), Medical University of South Carolina and Affiliates (71) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in South Carolina in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Software Developers (655 filings, median $119,687), Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (239 filings, median $103,210), Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (143 filings, median $60,000) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in South Carolina in fiscal year 2025.
$127,823 was the median offered pay in Indian Land, the highest among the South Carolina cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (141 filings).
$42,500 a year was the median pay offered in 906 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in South Carolina in fiscal year 2025.
51 disasters and emergencies have been declared for South Carolina since 1954, 41 of them since 2000 (21 major disasters). The most common type is Hurricane (21 declarations).
Horry County, with 29 declarations since 2000, followed by Berkeley County (27) and Georgetown County (26). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$1.0 billion on 49,622 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 1989, with $361.9 million paid on 14,879 claims. Horry County received the most ($338.2 million).
$707 a year in 2025, across 194,772 flood insurance policies in South Carolina. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.