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 2022, at 287,069 jobs. McCormick County had the lowest, at 1,883 jobs. The median was 19,096 jobs and the figure for South Carolina was 2,181,593 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest287,069Greenville County
Lowest1,883McCormick County
Median19,09646 counties
South Carolina2,181,593History

Map of counties, 2022

Abbeville County: 5,416 jobsAiken County: 61,731 jobsAllendale County: 2,366 jobsAnderson County: 69,878 jobsBamberg County: 3,483 jobsBarnwell County: 4,937 jobsBeaufort County: 69,209 jobsBerkeley County: 59,219 jobsCalhoun County: 4,538 jobsCharleston County: 266,407 jobsCherokee County: 20,157 jobsChester County: 9,785 jobsChesterfield County: 14,717 jobsClarendon County: 6,676 jobsColleton County: 9,805 jobsDarlington County: 20,695 jobsDillon County: 9,425 jobsDorchester County: 37,758 jobsEdgefield County: 5,849 jobsFairfield County: 5,613 jobsFlorence County: 66,379 jobsGeorgetown County: 25,262 jobsGreenville County: 287,069 jobsGreenwood County: 27,322 jobsHampton County: 4,555 jobsHorry County: 136,962 jobsJasper County: 10,102 jobsKershaw County: 18,034 jobsLancaster County: 27,175 jobsLaurens County: 20,746 jobsLee County: 3,649 jobsLexington County: 126,811 jobsMcCormick County: 1,883 jobsMarion County: 6,815 jobsMarlboro County: 6,019 jobsNewberry County: 15,318 jobsOconee County: 24,256 jobsOrangeburg County: 27,904 jobsPickens County: 37,099 jobsRichland County: 222,383 jobsSaluda County: 4,808 jobsSpartanburg County: 149,838 jobsSumter County: 36,521 jobsUnion County: 7,401 jobsWilliamsburg County: 7,701 jobsYork County: 102,188 jobs
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 19K
  • 19K to 28K
  • 28K to 70K
  • 70K and over
jobs, 2022. 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, 2022

Greenville County: 287,069 jobsGreenville County287,069Charleston County: 266,407 jobsCharleston County266,407Richland County: 222,383 jobsRichland County222,383Spartanburg County: 149,838 jobsSpartanburg County149,838Horry County: 136,962 jobsHorry County136,962Lexington County: 126,811 jobsLexington County126,811York County: 102,188 jobsYork County102,188Anderson County: 69,878 jobsAnderson County69,878Beaufort County: 69,209 jobsBeaufort County69,209Florence County: 66,379 jobsFlorence County66,379Aiken County: 61,731 jobsAiken County61,731Berkeley County: 59,219 jobsBerkeley County59,219Dorchester County: 37,758 jobsDorchester County37,758Pickens County: 37,099 jobsPickens County37,099Sumter County: 36,521 jobsSumter County36,521Orangeburg County: 27,904 jobsOrangeburg County27,904Greenwood County: 27,322 jobsGreenwood County27,322Lancaster County: 27,175 jobsLancaster County27,175Georgetown County: 25,262 jobsGeorgetown County25,262Oconee County: 24,256 jobsOconee County24,256Laurens County: 20,746 jobsLaurens County20,746Darlington County: 20,695 jobsDarlington County20,695Cherokee County: 20,157 jobsCherokee County20,157Kershaw County: 18,034 jobsKershaw County18,034Newberry County: 15,318 jobsNewberry County15,318Chesterfield County: 14,717 jobsChesterfield County14,717Jasper County: 10,102 jobsJasper County10,102Colleton County: 9,805 jobsColleton County9,805Chester County: 9,785 jobsChester County9,785Dillon County: 9,425 jobsDillon County9,425Williamsburg County: 7,701 jobsWilliamsburg County7,701Union County: 7,401 jobsUnion County7,401Marion County: 6,815 jobsMarion County6,815Clarendon County: 6,676 jobsClarendon County6,676Marlboro County: 6,019 jobsMarlboro County6,019Edgefield County: 5,849 jobsEdgefield County5,849Fairfield County: 5,613 jobsFairfield County5,613Abbeville County: 5,416 jobsAbbeville County5,416Barnwell County: 4,937 jobsBarnwell County4,937Saluda County: 4,808 jobsSaluda County4,808Hampton County: 4,555 jobsHampton County4,555Calhoun County: 4,538 jobsCalhoun County4,538Lee County: 3,649 jobsLee County3,649Bamberg County: 3,483 jobsBamberg County3,483Allendale County: 2,366 jobsAllendale County2,366McCormick County: 1,883 jobsMcCormick County1,883Greenville County: 287,069 jobsGreenville County287,069Charleston County: 266,407 jobsCharleston County266,407Richland County: 222,383 jobsRichland County222,383Spartanburg County: 149,838 jobsSpartanburg County149,838Horry County: 136,962 jobsHorry County136,962Lexington County: 126,811 jobsLexington County126,811York County: 102,188 jobsYork County102,188Anderson County: 69,878 jobsAnderson County69,878Beaufort County: 69,209 jobsBeaufort County69,209Florence County: 66,379 jobsFlorence County66,379Aiken County: 61,731 jobsAiken County61,731Berkeley County: 59,219 jobsBerkeley County59,219Dorchester County: 37,758 jobsDorchester County37,758Pickens County: 37,099 jobsPickens County37,099Sumter County: 36,521 jobsSumter County36,521Orangeburg County: 27,904 jobsOrangeburg County27,904Greenwood County: 27,322 jobsGreenwood County27,322Lancaster County: 27,175 jobsLancaster County27,175Georgetown County: 25,262 jobsGeorgetown County25,262Oconee County: 24,256 jobsOconee County24,256Laurens County: 20,746 jobsLaurens County20,746Darlington County: 20,695 jobsDarlington County20,695Cherokee County: 20,157 jobsCherokee County20,157Kershaw County: 18,034 jobsKershaw County18,034Newberry County: 15,318 jobsNewberry County15,318Chesterfield County: 14,717 jobsChesterfield County14,717Jasper County: 10,102 jobsJasper County10,102Colleton County: 9,805 jobsColleton County9,805Chester County: 9,785 jobsChester County9,785Dillon County: 9,425 jobsDillon County9,425Williamsburg County: 7,701 jobsWilliamsburg County7,701Union County: 7,401 jobsUnion County7,401Marion County: 6,815 jobsMarion County6,815Clarendon County: 6,676 jobsClarendon County6,676Marlboro County: 6,019 jobsMarlboro County6,019Edgefield County: 5,849 jobsEdgefield County5,849Fairfield County: 5,613 jobsFairfield County5,613Abbeville County: 5,416 jobsAbbeville County5,416Barnwell County: 4,937 jobsBarnwell County4,937Saluda County: 4,808 jobsSaluda County4,808Hampton County: 4,555 jobsHampton County4,555Calhoun County: 4,538 jobsCalhoun County4,538Lee County: 3,649 jobsLee County3,649Bamberg County: 3,483 jobsBamberg County3,483Allendale County: 2,366 jobsAllendale County2,366McCormick County: 1,883 jobsMcCormick County1,883
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

RankCounties2022
jobs		Change on 2021
1Greenville County287,069+5%
2Charleston County266,407+5.6%
3Richland County222,383+2.6%
4Spartanburg County149,838+1.9%
5Horry County136,962+5.5%
6Lexington County126,811+4%
7York County102,188+2.2%
8Anderson County69,878+5%
9Beaufort County69,209+3.4%
10Florence County66,379+2.9%
11Aiken County61,731+3.8%
12Berkeley County59,219+4.7%
13Dorchester County37,758+7.1%
14Pickens County37,099+3.5%
15Sumter County36,521+1%
16Orangeburg County27,904+2.3%
17Greenwood County27,322+0.1%
18Lancaster County27,175+4.6%
19Georgetown County25,262+4.2%
20Oconee County24,256+3.4%
21Laurens County20,746-0.1%
22Darlington County20,695+4.5%
23Cherokee County20,157-0.3%
24Kershaw County18,034+3.4%
25Newberry County15,318+2.5%
26Chesterfield County14,717+1.7%
27Jasper County10,102+2.5%
28Colleton County9,805-1.7%
29Chester County9,785+2.7%
30Dillon County9,425+1.5%
31Williamsburg County7,701-1.8%
32Union County7,401-1.4%
33Marion County6,815-0.2%
34Clarendon County6,676-1%
35Marlboro County6,019-6%
36Edgefield County5,849+10.9%
37Fairfield County5,613+4.8%
38Abbeville County5,416+1.2%
39Barnwell County4,937+6%
40Saluda County4,808-0.8%
41Hampton County4,555+1.2%
42Calhoun County4,538+0.2%
43Lee County3,649-2.1%
44Bamberg County3,483+3%
45Allendale County2,366-2.4%
46McCormick County1,883+12.2%

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/2022/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), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/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), 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2022.

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), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2022,
  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), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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/2022/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), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2022.
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/2022/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 287,069 jobs in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McCormick County, with 1,883 jobs in 2022.

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