Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW)

Greenville County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 46 counties in 2019, at 279,531 jobs. McCormick County had the lowest, at 1,712 jobs. The median was 19,172 jobs and the figure for South Carolina was 2,129,271 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest279,531Greenville County
Lowest1,712McCormick County
Median19,17246 counties
South Carolina2,129,271History

Map of counties, 2019

Abbeville County: 5,536 jobsAiken County: 61,475 jobsAllendale County: 2,722 jobsAnderson County: 66,525 jobsBamberg County: 3,668 jobsBarnwell County: 5,362 jobsBeaufort County: 68,843 jobsBerkeley County: 55,299 jobsCalhoun County: 4,658 jobsCharleston County: 259,723 jobsCherokee County: 21,104 jobsChester County: 9,822 jobsChesterfield County: 15,249 jobsClarendon County: 6,948 jobsColleton County: 10,669 jobsDarlington County: 20,638 jobsDillon County: 9,165 jobsDorchester County: 36,369 jobsEdgefield County: 5,526 jobsFairfield County: 5,454 jobsFlorence County: 66,089 jobsGeorgetown County: 24,258 jobsGreenville County: 279,531 jobsGreenwood County: 29,090 jobsHampton County: 4,693 jobsHorry County: 133,871 jobsJasper County: 9,898 jobsKershaw County: 17,705 jobsLancaster County: 25,976 jobsLaurens County: 21,382 jobsLee County: 3,692 jobsLexington County: 122,192 jobsMcCormick County: 1,712 jobsMarion County: 6,968 jobsMarlboro County: 6,797 jobsNewberry County: 14,597 jobsOconee County: 24,304 jobsOrangeburg County: 28,901 jobsPickens County: 37,052 jobsRichland County: 223,386 jobsSaluda County: 4,787 jobsSpartanburg County: 147,638 jobsSumter County: 37,261 jobsUnion County: 8,353 jobsWilliamsburg County: 9,047 jobsYork County: 100,346 jobs
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 19K
  • 19K to 29K
  • 29K to 68K
  • 68K and over
jobs, 2019. 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, 2019

Greenville County: 279,531 jobsGreenville County279,531Charleston County: 259,723 jobsCharleston County259,723Richland County: 223,386 jobsRichland County223,386Spartanburg County: 147,638 jobsSpartanburg County147,638Horry County: 133,871 jobsHorry County133,871Lexington County: 122,192 jobsLexington County122,192York County: 100,346 jobsYork County100,346Beaufort County: 68,843 jobsBeaufort County68,843Anderson County: 66,525 jobsAnderson County66,525Florence County: 66,089 jobsFlorence County66,089Aiken County: 61,475 jobsAiken County61,475Berkeley County: 55,299 jobsBerkeley County55,299Sumter County: 37,261 jobsSumter County37,261Pickens County: 37,052 jobsPickens County37,052Dorchester County: 36,369 jobsDorchester County36,369Greenwood County: 29,090 jobsGreenwood County29,090Orangeburg County: 28,901 jobsOrangeburg County28,901Lancaster County: 25,976 jobsLancaster County25,976Oconee County: 24,304 jobsOconee County24,304Georgetown County: 24,258 jobsGeorgetown County24,258Laurens County: 21,382 jobsLaurens County21,382Cherokee County: 21,104 jobsCherokee County21,104Darlington County: 20,638 jobsDarlington County20,638Kershaw County: 17,705 jobsKershaw County17,705Chesterfield County: 15,249 jobsChesterfield County15,249Newberry County: 14,597 jobsNewberry County14,597Colleton County: 10,669 jobsColleton County10,669Jasper County: 9,898 jobsJasper County9,898Chester County: 9,822 jobsChester County9,822Dillon County: 9,165 jobsDillon County9,165Williamsburg County: 9,047 jobsWilliamsburg County9,047Union County: 8,353 jobsUnion County8,353Marion County: 6,968 jobsMarion County6,968Clarendon County: 6,948 jobsClarendon County6,948Marlboro County: 6,797 jobsMarlboro County6,797Abbeville County: 5,536 jobsAbbeville County5,536Edgefield County: 5,526 jobsEdgefield County5,526Fairfield County: 5,454 jobsFairfield County5,454Barnwell County: 5,362 jobsBarnwell County5,362Saluda County: 4,787 jobsSaluda County4,787Hampton County: 4,693 jobsHampton County4,693Calhoun County: 4,658 jobsCalhoun County4,658Lee County: 3,692 jobsLee County3,692Bamberg County: 3,668 jobsBamberg County3,668Allendale County: 2,722 jobsAllendale County2,722McCormick County: 1,712 jobsMcCormick County1,712Greenville County: 279,531 jobsGreenville County279,531Charleston County: 259,723 jobsCharleston County259,723Richland County: 223,386 jobsRichland County223,386Spartanburg County: 147,638 jobsSpartanburg County147,638Horry County: 133,871 jobsHorry County133,871Lexington County: 122,192 jobsLexington County122,192York County: 100,346 jobsYork County100,346Beaufort County: 68,843 jobsBeaufort County68,843Anderson County: 66,525 jobsAnderson County66,525Florence County: 66,089 jobsFlorence County66,089Aiken County: 61,475 jobsAiken County61,475Berkeley County: 55,299 jobsBerkeley County55,299Sumter County: 37,261 jobsSumter County37,261Pickens County: 37,052 jobsPickens County37,052Dorchester County: 36,369 jobsDorchester County36,369Greenwood County: 29,090 jobsGreenwood County29,090Orangeburg County: 28,901 jobsOrangeburg County28,901Lancaster County: 25,976 jobsLancaster County25,976Oconee County: 24,304 jobsOconee County24,304Georgetown County: 24,258 jobsGeorgetown County24,258Laurens County: 21,382 jobsLaurens County21,382Cherokee County: 21,104 jobsCherokee County21,104Darlington County: 20,638 jobsDarlington County20,638Kershaw County: 17,705 jobsKershaw County17,705Chesterfield County: 15,249 jobsChesterfield County15,249Newberry County: 14,597 jobsNewberry County14,597Colleton County: 10,669 jobsColleton County10,669Jasper County: 9,898 jobsJasper County9,898Chester County: 9,822 jobsChester County9,822Dillon County: 9,165 jobsDillon County9,165Williamsburg County: 9,047 jobsWilliamsburg County9,047Union County: 8,353 jobsUnion County8,353Marion County: 6,968 jobsMarion County6,968Clarendon County: 6,948 jobsClarendon County6,948Marlboro County: 6,797 jobsMarlboro County6,797Abbeville County: 5,536 jobsAbbeville County5,536Edgefield County: 5,526 jobsEdgefield County5,526Fairfield County: 5,454 jobsFairfield County5,454Barnwell County: 5,362 jobsBarnwell County5,362Saluda County: 4,787 jobsSaluda County4,787Hampton County: 4,693 jobsHampton County4,693Calhoun County: 4,658 jobsCalhoun County4,658Lee County: 3,692 jobsLee County3,692Bamberg County: 3,668 jobsBamberg County3,668Allendale County: 2,722 jobsAllendale County2,722McCormick County: 1,712 jobsMcCormick County1,712
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

RankCounties2019
jobs
Change on 2018
1Greenville County279,531+1.6%
2Charleston County259,723+2.2%
3Richland County223,386+0.2%
4Spartanburg County147,638+4%
5Horry County133,871+2%
6Lexington County122,192+2%
7York County100,346+4.7%
8Beaufort County68,843+2.2%
9Anderson County66,525+2.2%
10Florence County66,089+2%
11Aiken County61,475+1.6%
12Berkeley County55,299+4.6%
13Sumter County37,261-1.4%
14Pickens County37,052+1.1%
15Dorchester County36,369+1.2%
16Greenwood County29,090+1.4%
17Orangeburg County28,901+1.5%
18Lancaster County25,976+4.2%
19Oconee County24,304+0.3%
20Georgetown County24,258+1.8%
21Laurens County21,382-5%
22Cherokee County21,104-0.9%
23Darlington County20,638-1.4%
24Kershaw County17,705+1.8%
25Chesterfield County15,249-0.5%
26Newberry County14,597+0.3%
27Colleton County10,669-0.4%
28Jasper County9,898+0.6%
29Chester County9,822+3.7%
30Dillon County9,165+3.6%
31Williamsburg County9,047-1.3%
32Union County8,353+5.2%
33Marion County6,968+0.9%
34Clarendon County6,948+1%
35Marlboro County6,797-0.6%
36Abbeville County5,536+1%
37Edgefield County5,526+1.5%
38Fairfield County5,454-7.4%
39Barnwell County5,362-2.9%
40Saluda County4,787+2.7%
41Hampton County4,693+0.2%
42Calhoun County4,658+1%
43Lee County3,692-0.9%
44Bamberg County3,668-2.2%
45Allendale County2,722-6%
46McCormick County1,712-2.3%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/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 279,531 jobs in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McCormick County, with 1,712 jobs in 2019.

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