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 2017, at 266,796 jobs. McCormick County had the lowest, at 1,711 jobs. The median was 18,411 jobs and the figure for South Carolina was 2,035,341 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest266,796Greenville County
Lowest1,711McCormick County
Median18,41146 counties
South Carolina2,035,341History

Map of counties, 2017

Abbeville County: 5,450 jobsAiken County: 59,229 jobsAllendale County: 2,858 jobsAnderson County: 64,305 jobsBamberg County: 3,887 jobsBarnwell County: 5,142 jobsBeaufort County: 65,016 jobsBerkeley County: 50,003 jobsCalhoun County: 4,614 jobsCharleston County: 246,380 jobsCherokee County: 19,559 jobsChester County: 8,575 jobsChesterfield County: 14,748 jobsClarendon County: 6,703 jobsColleton County: 10,720 jobsDarlington County: 20,136 jobsDillon County: 8,676 jobsDorchester County: 34,498 jobsEdgefield County: 5,324 jobsFairfield County: 9,184 jobsFlorence County: 62,780 jobsGeorgetown County: 23,279 jobsGreenville County: 266,796 jobsGreenwood County: 28,166 jobsHampton County: 4,607 jobsHorry County: 127,045 jobsJasper County: 9,181 jobsKershaw County: 17,263 jobsLancaster County: 23,768 jobsLaurens County: 22,359 jobsLee County: 3,455 jobsLexington County: 117,790 jobsMcCormick County: 1,711 jobsMarion County: 6,348 jobsMarlboro County: 6,698 jobsNewberry County: 13,840 jobsOconee County: 23,428 jobsOrangeburg County: 28,312 jobsPickens County: 35,157 jobsRichland County: 219,373 jobsSaluda County: 4,632 jobsSpartanburg County: 137,148 jobsSumter County: 37,220 jobsUnion County: 7,771 jobsWilliamsburg County: 9,193 jobsYork County: 93,442 jobs
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 18K
  • 18K to 28K
  • 28K to 65K
  • 65K and over
jobs, 2017. 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, 2017

Greenville County: 266,796 jobsGreenville County266,796Charleston County: 246,380 jobsCharleston County246,380Richland County: 219,373 jobsRichland County219,373Spartanburg County: 137,148 jobsSpartanburg County137,148Horry County: 127,045 jobsHorry County127,045Lexington County: 117,790 jobsLexington County117,790York County: 93,442 jobsYork County93,442Beaufort County: 65,016 jobsBeaufort County65,016Anderson County: 64,305 jobsAnderson County64,305Florence County: 62,780 jobsFlorence County62,780Aiken County: 59,229 jobsAiken County59,229Berkeley County: 50,003 jobsBerkeley County50,003Sumter County: 37,220 jobsSumter County37,220Pickens County: 35,157 jobsPickens County35,157Dorchester County: 34,498 jobsDorchester County34,498Orangeburg County: 28,312 jobsOrangeburg County28,312Greenwood County: 28,166 jobsGreenwood County28,166Lancaster County: 23,768 jobsLancaster County23,768Oconee County: 23,428 jobsOconee County23,428Georgetown County: 23,279 jobsGeorgetown County23,279Laurens County: 22,359 jobsLaurens County22,359Darlington County: 20,136 jobsDarlington County20,136Cherokee County: 19,559 jobsCherokee County19,559Kershaw County: 17,263 jobsKershaw County17,263Chesterfield County: 14,748 jobsChesterfield County14,748Newberry County: 13,840 jobsNewberry County13,840Colleton County: 10,720 jobsColleton County10,720Williamsburg County: 9,193 jobsWilliamsburg County9,193Fairfield County: 9,184 jobsFairfield County9,184Jasper County: 9,181 jobsJasper County9,181Dillon County: 8,676 jobsDillon County8,676Chester County: 8,575 jobsChester County8,575Union County: 7,771 jobsUnion County7,771Clarendon County: 6,703 jobsClarendon County6,703Marlboro County: 6,698 jobsMarlboro County6,698Marion County: 6,348 jobsMarion County6,348Abbeville County: 5,450 jobsAbbeville County5,450Edgefield County: 5,324 jobsEdgefield County5,324Barnwell County: 5,142 jobsBarnwell County5,142Saluda County: 4,632 jobsSaluda County4,632Calhoun County: 4,614 jobsCalhoun County4,614Hampton County: 4,607 jobsHampton County4,607Bamberg County: 3,887 jobsBamberg County3,887Lee County: 3,455 jobsLee County3,455Allendale County: 2,858 jobsAllendale County2,858McCormick County: 1,711 jobsMcCormick County1,711Greenville County: 266,796 jobsGreenville County266,796Charleston County: 246,380 jobsCharleston County246,380Richland County: 219,373 jobsRichland County219,373Spartanburg County: 137,148 jobsSpartanburg County137,148Horry County: 127,045 jobsHorry County127,045Lexington County: 117,790 jobsLexington County117,790York County: 93,442 jobsYork County93,442Beaufort County: 65,016 jobsBeaufort County65,016Anderson County: 64,305 jobsAnderson County64,305Florence County: 62,780 jobsFlorence County62,780Aiken County: 59,229 jobsAiken County59,229Berkeley County: 50,003 jobsBerkeley County50,003Sumter County: 37,220 jobsSumter County37,220Pickens County: 35,157 jobsPickens County35,157Dorchester County: 34,498 jobsDorchester County34,498Orangeburg County: 28,312 jobsOrangeburg County28,312Greenwood County: 28,166 jobsGreenwood County28,166Lancaster County: 23,768 jobsLancaster County23,768Oconee County: 23,428 jobsOconee County23,428Georgetown County: 23,279 jobsGeorgetown County23,279Laurens County: 22,359 jobsLaurens County22,359Darlington County: 20,136 jobsDarlington County20,136Cherokee County: 19,559 jobsCherokee County19,559Kershaw County: 17,263 jobsKershaw County17,263Chesterfield County: 14,748 jobsChesterfield County14,748Newberry County: 13,840 jobsNewberry County13,840Colleton County: 10,720 jobsColleton County10,720Williamsburg County: 9,193 jobsWilliamsburg County9,193Fairfield County: 9,184 jobsFairfield County9,184Jasper County: 9,181 jobsJasper County9,181Dillon County: 8,676 jobsDillon County8,676Chester County: 8,575 jobsChester County8,575Union County: 7,771 jobsUnion County7,771Clarendon County: 6,703 jobsClarendon County6,703Marlboro County: 6,698 jobsMarlboro County6,698Marion County: 6,348 jobsMarion County6,348Abbeville County: 5,450 jobsAbbeville County5,450Edgefield County: 5,324 jobsEdgefield County5,324Barnwell County: 5,142 jobsBarnwell County5,142Saluda County: 4,632 jobsSaluda County4,632Calhoun County: 4,614 jobsCalhoun County4,614Hampton County: 4,607 jobsHampton County4,607Bamberg County: 3,887 jobsBamberg County3,887Lee County: 3,455 jobsLee County3,455Allendale County: 2,858 jobsAllendale County2,858McCormick County: 1,711 jobsMcCormick County1,711
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

RankCounties2017
jobs		Change on 2016
1Greenville County266,796+1.7%
2Charleston County246,380+1.8%
3Richland County219,373+1%
4Spartanburg County137,148+4.2%
5Horry County127,045+4%
6Lexington County117,790+1.5%
7York County93,442+5.3%
8Beaufort County65,016+2.9%
9Anderson County64,3050%
10Florence County62,780+0.8%
11Aiken County59,229+0.4%
12Berkeley County50,003+3.7%
13Sumter County37,220+0.8%
14Pickens County35,157+2.3%
15Dorchester County34,498+3.6%
16Orangeburg County28,312-0.7%
17Greenwood County28,166-1.8%
18Lancaster County23,768+1.4%
19Oconee County23,428+0.5%
20Georgetown County23,279+0.7%
21Laurens County22,359+2.3%
22Darlington County20,136+0.7%
23Cherokee County19,559+2.3%
24Kershaw County17,263-5.8%
25Chesterfield County14,748-0.4%
26Newberry County13,840-5.4%
27Colleton County10,720-0.6%
28Williamsburg County9,193-1.6%
29Fairfield County9,184-12%
30Jasper County9,181+7.2%
31Dillon County8,676-0.6%
32Chester County8,575+2.8%
33Union County7,771+0.3%
34Clarendon County6,703-1.5%
35Marlboro County6,698+0.9%
36Marion County6,348-1.3%
37Abbeville County5,450-1%
38Edgefield County5,324-5.1%
39Barnwell County5,142+1.1%
40Saluda County4,632+3%
41Calhoun County4,614-1.1%
42Hampton County4,607-0.9%
43Bamberg County3,887-1.6%
44Lee County3,455+1.1%
45Allendale County2,858+5.6%
46McCormick County1,711+2.1%

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/2017/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), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/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), 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2017. 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), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2017.

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), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2017. 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/2017/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), 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2017.
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/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Greenville County, with 266,796 jobs in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McCormick County, with 1,711 jobs in 2017.

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