Data / Rankings / Covered employment (QCEW) / Counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW)

Greenville County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 46 counties in 2016, at 262,325 jobs. McCormick County had the lowest, at 1,675 jobs. The median was 18,725 jobs and the figure for South Carolina was 1,996,297 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest262,325Greenville County
Lowest1,675McCormick County
Median18,72546 counties
South Carolina1,996,297History

Map of counties, 2016

Abbeville County: 5,503 jobsAiken County: 58,966 jobsAllendale County: 2,707 jobsAnderson County: 64,295 jobsBamberg County: 3,952 jobsBarnwell County: 5,085 jobsBeaufort County: 63,198 jobsBerkeley County: 48,196 jobsCalhoun County: 4,664 jobsCharleston County: 241,962 jobsCherokee County: 19,125 jobsChester County: 8,341 jobsChesterfield County: 14,802 jobsClarendon County: 6,807 jobsColleton County: 10,787 jobsDarlington County: 19,993 jobsDillon County: 8,730 jobsDorchester County: 33,298 jobsEdgefield County: 5,609 jobsFairfield County: 10,433 jobsFlorence County: 62,254 jobsGeorgetown County: 23,113 jobsGreenville County: 262,325 jobsGreenwood County: 28,694 jobsHampton County: 4,649 jobsHorry County: 122,156 jobsJasper County: 8,568 jobsKershaw County: 18,324 jobsLancaster County: 23,430 jobsLaurens County: 21,855 jobsLee County: 3,419 jobsLexington County: 116,084 jobsMcCormick County: 1,675 jobsMarion County: 6,431 jobsMarlboro County: 6,639 jobsNewberry County: 14,637 jobsOconee County: 23,301 jobsOrangeburg County: 28,506 jobsPickens County: 34,373 jobsRichland County: 217,303 jobsSaluda County: 4,498 jobsSpartanburg County: 131,655 jobsSumter County: 36,938 jobsUnion County: 7,747 jobsWilliamsburg County: 9,343 jobsYork County: 88,726 jobs
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 19K
  • 19K to 29K
  • 29K to 64K
  • 64K and over
jobs, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2016

Greenville County: 262,325 jobsGreenville County262,325Charleston County: 241,962 jobsCharleston County241,962Richland County: 217,303 jobsRichland County217,303Spartanburg County: 131,655 jobsSpartanburg County131,655Horry County: 122,156 jobsHorry County122,156Lexington County: 116,084 jobsLexington County116,084York County: 88,726 jobsYork County88,726Anderson County: 64,295 jobsAnderson County64,295Beaufort County: 63,198 jobsBeaufort County63,198Florence County: 62,254 jobsFlorence County62,254Aiken County: 58,966 jobsAiken County58,966Berkeley County: 48,196 jobsBerkeley County48,196Sumter County: 36,938 jobsSumter County36,938Pickens County: 34,373 jobsPickens County34,373Dorchester County: 33,298 jobsDorchester County33,298Greenwood County: 28,694 jobsGreenwood County28,694Orangeburg County: 28,506 jobsOrangeburg County28,506Lancaster County: 23,430 jobsLancaster County23,430Oconee County: 23,301 jobsOconee County23,301Georgetown County: 23,113 jobsGeorgetown County23,113Laurens County: 21,855 jobsLaurens County21,855Darlington County: 19,993 jobsDarlington County19,993Cherokee County: 19,125 jobsCherokee County19,125Kershaw County: 18,324 jobsKershaw County18,324Chesterfield County: 14,802 jobsChesterfield County14,802Newberry County: 14,637 jobsNewberry County14,637Colleton County: 10,787 jobsColleton County10,787Fairfield County: 10,433 jobsFairfield County10,433Williamsburg County: 9,343 jobsWilliamsburg County9,343Dillon County: 8,730 jobsDillon County8,730Jasper County: 8,568 jobsJasper County8,568Chester County: 8,341 jobsChester County8,341Union County: 7,747 jobsUnion County7,747Clarendon County: 6,807 jobsClarendon County6,807Marlboro County: 6,639 jobsMarlboro County6,639Marion County: 6,431 jobsMarion County6,431Edgefield County: 5,609 jobsEdgefield County5,609Abbeville County: 5,503 jobsAbbeville County5,503Barnwell County: 5,085 jobsBarnwell County5,085Calhoun County: 4,664 jobsCalhoun County4,664Hampton County: 4,649 jobsHampton County4,649Saluda County: 4,498 jobsSaluda County4,498Bamberg County: 3,952 jobsBamberg County3,952Lee County: 3,419 jobsLee County3,419Allendale County: 2,707 jobsAllendale County2,707McCormick County: 1,675 jobsMcCormick County1,675Greenville County: 262,325 jobsGreenville County262,325Charleston County: 241,962 jobsCharleston County241,962Richland County: 217,303 jobsRichland County217,303Spartanburg County: 131,655 jobsSpartanburg County131,655Horry County: 122,156 jobsHorry County122,156Lexington County: 116,084 jobsLexington County116,084York County: 88,726 jobsYork County88,726Anderson County: 64,295 jobsAnderson County64,295Beaufort County: 63,198 jobsBeaufort County63,198Florence County: 62,254 jobsFlorence County62,254Aiken County: 58,966 jobsAiken County58,966Berkeley County: 48,196 jobsBerkeley County48,196Sumter County: 36,938 jobsSumter County36,938Pickens County: 34,373 jobsPickens County34,373Dorchester County: 33,298 jobsDorchester County33,298Greenwood County: 28,694 jobsGreenwood County28,694Orangeburg County: 28,506 jobsOrangeburg County28,506Lancaster County: 23,430 jobsLancaster County23,430Oconee County: 23,301 jobsOconee County23,301Georgetown County: 23,113 jobsGeorgetown County23,113Laurens County: 21,855 jobsLaurens County21,855Darlington County: 19,993 jobsDarlington County19,993Cherokee County: 19,125 jobsCherokee County19,125Kershaw County: 18,324 jobsKershaw County18,324Chesterfield County: 14,802 jobsChesterfield County14,802Newberry County: 14,637 jobsNewberry County14,637Colleton County: 10,787 jobsColleton County10,787Fairfield County: 10,433 jobsFairfield County10,433Williamsburg County: 9,343 jobsWilliamsburg County9,343Dillon County: 8,730 jobsDillon County8,730Jasper County: 8,568 jobsJasper County8,568Chester County: 8,341 jobsChester County8,341Union County: 7,747 jobsUnion County7,747Clarendon County: 6,807 jobsClarendon County6,807Marlboro County: 6,639 jobsMarlboro County6,639Marion County: 6,431 jobsMarion County6,431Edgefield County: 5,609 jobsEdgefield County5,609Abbeville County: 5,503 jobsAbbeville County5,503Barnwell County: 5,085 jobsBarnwell County5,085Calhoun County: 4,664 jobsCalhoun County4,664Hampton County: 4,649 jobsHampton County4,649Saluda County: 4,498 jobsSaluda County4,498Bamberg County: 3,952 jobsBamberg County3,952Lee County: 3,419 jobsLee County3,419Allendale County: 2,707 jobsAllendale County2,707McCormick County: 1,675 jobsMcCormick County1,675
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
jobs		Change on 2015
1Greenville County262,325+2.2%
2Charleston County241,962+2.8%
3Richland County217,303+1.9%
4Spartanburg County131,655+3.7%
5Horry County122,156+3.3%
6Lexington County116,084+2.6%
7York County88,726+4.6%
8Anderson County64,295+1.8%
9Beaufort County63,198+1.4%
10Florence County62,254+1.4%
11Aiken County58,966+2%
12Berkeley County48,196+5.1%
13Sumter County36,938+0.6%
14Pickens County34,373+1.5%
15Dorchester County33,298+4.2%
16Greenwood County28,694+0.2%
17Orangeburg County28,506-1.5%
18Lancaster County23,430+8.6%
19Oconee County23,301-0.4%
20Georgetown County23,113+0.5%
21Laurens County21,855+1.3%
22Darlington County19,993+0.9%
23Cherokee County19,125+1.4%
24Kershaw County18,324+1.5%
25Chesterfield County14,802+2.7%
26Newberry County14,637+3.6%
27Colleton County10,787+1.5%
28Fairfield County10,433+1%
29Williamsburg County9,343-1.5%
30Dillon County8,730+3%
31Jasper County8,568+5.8%
32Chester County8,341+0.3%
33Union County7,747+4.6%
34Clarendon County6,807-2.6%
35Marlboro County6,639-1.5%
36Marion County6,431-1.4%
37Edgefield County5,609-4.7%
38Abbeville County5,503+1.1%
39Barnwell County5,085-3.4%
40Calhoun County4,664+3.7%
41Hampton County4,649+2.2%
42Saluda County4,498-1.2%
43Bamberg County3,952+0.1%
44Lee County3,419+1.4%
45Allendale County2,707+0.7%
46McCormick County1,675-0.7%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Greenville County, with 262,325 jobs in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McCormick County, with 1,675 jobs in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in South Carolina: more rankings