Counties in South Carolina by covered employment (QCEW)

Greenville County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 46 counties in 2021, at 273,521 jobs. McCormick County had the lowest, at 1,679 jobs. The median was 18,619 jobs and the figure for South Carolina was 2,093,950 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest273,521Greenville County
Lowest1,679McCormick County
Median18,61946 counties
South Carolina2,093,950History

Map of counties, 2021

Abbeville County: 5,353 jobsAiken County: 59,467 jobsAllendale County: 2,424 jobsAnderson County: 66,528 jobsBamberg County: 3,382 jobsBarnwell County: 4,658 jobsBeaufort County: 66,919 jobsBerkeley County: 56,543 jobsCalhoun County: 4,527 jobsCharleston County: 252,288 jobsCherokee County: 20,211 jobsChester County: 9,527 jobsChesterfield County: 14,464 jobsClarendon County: 6,746 jobsColleton County: 9,975 jobsDarlington County: 19,804 jobsDillon County: 9,282 jobsDorchester County: 35,239 jobsEdgefield County: 5,273 jobsFairfield County: 5,357 jobsFlorence County: 64,491 jobsGeorgetown County: 24,244 jobsGreenville County: 273,521 jobsGreenwood County: 27,307 jobsHampton County: 4,499 jobsHorry County: 129,774 jobsJasper County: 9,855 jobsKershaw County: 17,434 jobsLancaster County: 25,969 jobsLaurens County: 20,762 jobsLee County: 3,728 jobsLexington County: 121,928 jobsMcCormick County: 1,679 jobsMarion County: 6,826 jobsMarlboro County: 6,403 jobsNewberry County: 14,941 jobsOconee County: 23,455 jobsOrangeburg County: 27,289 jobsPickens County: 35,853 jobsRichland County: 216,787 jobsSaluda County: 4,845 jobsSpartanburg County: 147,039 jobsSumter County: 36,156 jobsUnion County: 7,507 jobsWilliamsburg County: 7,844 jobsYork County: 99,947 jobs
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 19K
  • 19K to 27K
  • 27K to 67K
  • 67K and over
jobs, 2021. 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, 2021

Greenville County: 273,521 jobsGreenville County273,521Charleston County: 252,288 jobsCharleston County252,288Richland County: 216,787 jobsRichland County216,787Spartanburg County: 147,039 jobsSpartanburg County147,039Horry County: 129,774 jobsHorry County129,774Lexington County: 121,928 jobsLexington County121,928York County: 99,947 jobsYork County99,947Beaufort County: 66,919 jobsBeaufort County66,919Anderson County: 66,528 jobsAnderson County66,528Florence County: 64,491 jobsFlorence County64,491Aiken County: 59,467 jobsAiken County59,467Berkeley County: 56,543 jobsBerkeley County56,543Sumter County: 36,156 jobsSumter County36,156Pickens County: 35,853 jobsPickens County35,853Dorchester County: 35,239 jobsDorchester County35,239Greenwood County: 27,307 jobsGreenwood County27,307Orangeburg County: 27,289 jobsOrangeburg County27,289Lancaster County: 25,969 jobsLancaster County25,969Georgetown County: 24,244 jobsGeorgetown County24,244Oconee County: 23,455 jobsOconee County23,455Laurens County: 20,762 jobsLaurens County20,762Cherokee County: 20,211 jobsCherokee County20,211Darlington County: 19,804 jobsDarlington County19,804Kershaw County: 17,434 jobsKershaw County17,434Newberry County: 14,941 jobsNewberry County14,941Chesterfield County: 14,464 jobsChesterfield County14,464Colleton County: 9,975 jobsColleton County9,975Jasper County: 9,855 jobsJasper County9,855Chester County: 9,527 jobsChester County9,527Dillon County: 9,282 jobsDillon County9,282Williamsburg County: 7,844 jobsWilliamsburg County7,844Union County: 7,507 jobsUnion County7,507Marion County: 6,826 jobsMarion County6,826Clarendon County: 6,746 jobsClarendon County6,746Marlboro County: 6,403 jobsMarlboro County6,403Fairfield County: 5,357 jobsFairfield County5,357Abbeville County: 5,353 jobsAbbeville County5,353Edgefield County: 5,273 jobsEdgefield County5,273Saluda County: 4,845 jobsSaluda County4,845Barnwell County: 4,658 jobsBarnwell County4,658Calhoun County: 4,527 jobsCalhoun County4,527Hampton County: 4,499 jobsHampton County4,499Lee County: 3,728 jobsLee County3,728Bamberg County: 3,382 jobsBamberg County3,382Allendale County: 2,424 jobsAllendale County2,424McCormick County: 1,679 jobsMcCormick County1,679Greenville County: 273,521 jobsGreenville County273,521Charleston County: 252,288 jobsCharleston County252,288Richland County: 216,787 jobsRichland County216,787Spartanburg County: 147,039 jobsSpartanburg County147,039Horry County: 129,774 jobsHorry County129,774Lexington County: 121,928 jobsLexington County121,928York County: 99,947 jobsYork County99,947Beaufort County: 66,919 jobsBeaufort County66,919Anderson County: 66,528 jobsAnderson County66,528Florence County: 64,491 jobsFlorence County64,491Aiken County: 59,467 jobsAiken County59,467Berkeley County: 56,543 jobsBerkeley County56,543Sumter County: 36,156 jobsSumter County36,156Pickens County: 35,853 jobsPickens County35,853Dorchester County: 35,239 jobsDorchester County35,239Greenwood County: 27,307 jobsGreenwood County27,307Orangeburg County: 27,289 jobsOrangeburg County27,289Lancaster County: 25,969 jobsLancaster County25,969Georgetown County: 24,244 jobsGeorgetown County24,244Oconee County: 23,455 jobsOconee County23,455Laurens County: 20,762 jobsLaurens County20,762Cherokee County: 20,211 jobsCherokee County20,211Darlington County: 19,804 jobsDarlington County19,804Kershaw County: 17,434 jobsKershaw County17,434Newberry County: 14,941 jobsNewberry County14,941Chesterfield County: 14,464 jobsChesterfield County14,464Colleton County: 9,975 jobsColleton County9,975Jasper County: 9,855 jobsJasper County9,855Chester County: 9,527 jobsChester County9,527Dillon County: 9,282 jobsDillon County9,282Williamsburg County: 7,844 jobsWilliamsburg County7,844Union County: 7,507 jobsUnion County7,507Marion County: 6,826 jobsMarion County6,826Clarendon County: 6,746 jobsClarendon County6,746Marlboro County: 6,403 jobsMarlboro County6,403Fairfield County: 5,357 jobsFairfield County5,357Abbeville County: 5,353 jobsAbbeville County5,353Edgefield County: 5,273 jobsEdgefield County5,273Saluda County: 4,845 jobsSaluda County4,845Barnwell County: 4,658 jobsBarnwell County4,658Calhoun County: 4,527 jobsCalhoun County4,527Hampton County: 4,499 jobsHampton County4,499Lee County: 3,728 jobsLee County3,728Bamberg County: 3,382 jobsBamberg County3,382Allendale County: 2,424 jobsAllendale County2,424McCormick County: 1,679 jobsMcCormick County1,679
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

RankCounties2021
jobs
Change on 2020
1Greenville County273,521+3.5%
2Charleston County252,288+4.1%
3Richland County216,787+2.2%
4Spartanburg County147,039+1.8%
5Horry County129,774+6.2%
6Lexington County121,928+2.4%
7York County99,947+3.1%
8Beaufort County66,919+3.3%
9Anderson County66,528+3.1%
10Florence County64,491+1.5%
11Aiken County59,467+2%
12Berkeley County56,543+2.8%
13Sumter County36,156+1.5%
14Pickens County35,853+2.3%
15Dorchester County35,239+2.2%
16Greenwood County27,307-0.8%
17Orangeburg County27,289+0.2%
18Lancaster County25,969+2.6%
19Georgetown County24,244+3.4%
20Oconee County23,455-0%
21Laurens County20,762+4.2%
22Cherokee County20,211+3.6%
23Darlington County19,804+1%
24Kershaw County17,434+3.7%
25Newberry County14,941+4.4%
26Chesterfield County14,464+1.6%
27Colleton County9,975-1.4%
28Jasper County9,855+2.2%
29Chester County9,527+0.1%
30Dillon County9,282+1.6%
31Williamsburg County7,844-3.3%
32Union County7,507+0.6%
33Marion County6,826-1.1%
34Clarendon County6,746+1.6%
35Marlboro County6,403-0.8%
36Fairfield County5,357+1.2%
37Abbeville County5,353+0.7%
38Edgefield County5,273+2.3%
39Saluda County4,845-2.9%
40Barnwell County4,658-3.9%
41Calhoun County4,527-1.2%
42Hampton County4,499+0.8%
43Lee County3,728+0.2%
44Bamberg County3,382-1.2%
45Allendale County2,424-4.3%
46McCormick County1,679+6.5%

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/2021/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), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/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), 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2021. 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), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2021.

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), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2021,
  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), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/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), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/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 273,521 jobs in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McCormick County, with 1,679 jobs in 2021.

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