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 2023, at 291,794 jobs. McCormick County had the lowest, at 1,904 jobs. The median was 18,681 jobs and the figure for South Carolina was 2,243,194 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest291,794Greenville County
Lowest1,904McCormick County
Median18,68146 counties
South Carolina2,243,194History

Map of counties, 2023

Abbeville County: 5,374 jobsAiken County: 63,971 jobsAllendale County: 2,455 jobsAnderson County: 71,479 jobsBamberg County: 3,533 jobsBarnwell County: 4,999 jobsBeaufort County: 70,836 jobsBerkeley County: 63,992 jobsCalhoun County: 4,601 jobsCharleston County: 274,104 jobsCherokee County: 18,952 jobsChester County: 10,155 jobsChesterfield County: 14,560 jobsClarendon County: 6,824 jobsColleton County: 10,105 jobsDarlington County: 20,357 jobsDillon County: 9,588 jobsDorchester County: 39,409 jobsEdgefield County: 5,730 jobsFairfield County: 5,895 jobsFlorence County: 67,860 jobsGeorgetown County: 25,449 jobsGreenville County: 291,794 jobsGreenwood County: 27,583 jobsHampton County: 4,688 jobsHorry County: 141,154 jobsJasper County: 10,978 jobsKershaw County: 18,409 jobsLancaster County: 27,415 jobsLaurens County: 20,497 jobsLee County: 3,857 jobsLexington County: 130,111 jobsMcCormick County: 1,904 jobsMarion County: 6,743 jobsMarlboro County: 5,528 jobsNewberry County: 14,883 jobsOconee County: 25,506 jobsOrangeburg County: 28,347 jobsPickens County: 38,911 jobsRichland County: 223,968 jobsSaluda County: 4,835 jobsSpartanburg County: 152,492 jobsSumter County: 35,576 jobsUnion County: 7,340 jobsWilliamsburg County: 7,243 jobsYork County: 104,039 jobs
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 7,000
  • 7,000 to 19K
  • 19K to 28K
  • 28K to 71K
  • 71K and over
jobs, 2023. 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, 2023

Greenville County: 291,794 jobsGreenville County291,794Charleston County: 274,104 jobsCharleston County274,104Richland County: 223,968 jobsRichland County223,968Spartanburg County: 152,492 jobsSpartanburg County152,492Horry County: 141,154 jobsHorry County141,154Lexington County: 130,111 jobsLexington County130,111York County: 104,039 jobsYork County104,039Anderson County: 71,479 jobsAnderson County71,479Beaufort County: 70,836 jobsBeaufort County70,836Florence County: 67,860 jobsFlorence County67,860Berkeley County: 63,992 jobsBerkeley County63,992Aiken County: 63,971 jobsAiken County63,971Dorchester County: 39,409 jobsDorchester County39,409Pickens County: 38,911 jobsPickens County38,911Sumter County: 35,576 jobsSumter County35,576Orangeburg County: 28,347 jobsOrangeburg County28,347Greenwood County: 27,583 jobsGreenwood County27,583Lancaster County: 27,415 jobsLancaster County27,415Oconee County: 25,506 jobsOconee County25,506Georgetown County: 25,449 jobsGeorgetown County25,449Laurens County: 20,497 jobsLaurens County20,497Darlington County: 20,357 jobsDarlington County20,357Cherokee County: 18,952 jobsCherokee County18,952Kershaw County: 18,409 jobsKershaw County18,409Newberry County: 14,883 jobsNewberry County14,883Chesterfield County: 14,560 jobsChesterfield County14,560Jasper County: 10,978 jobsJasper County10,978Chester County: 10,155 jobsChester County10,155Colleton County: 10,105 jobsColleton County10,105Dillon County: 9,588 jobsDillon County9,588Union County: 7,340 jobsUnion County7,340Williamsburg County: 7,243 jobsWilliamsburg County7,243Clarendon County: 6,824 jobsClarendon County6,824Marion County: 6,743 jobsMarion County6,743Fairfield County: 5,895 jobsFairfield County5,895Edgefield County: 5,730 jobsEdgefield County5,730Marlboro County: 5,528 jobsMarlboro County5,528Abbeville County: 5,374 jobsAbbeville County5,374Barnwell County: 4,999 jobsBarnwell County4,999Saluda County: 4,835 jobsSaluda County4,835Hampton County: 4,688 jobsHampton County4,688Calhoun County: 4,601 jobsCalhoun County4,601Lee County: 3,857 jobsLee County3,857Bamberg County: 3,533 jobsBamberg County3,533Allendale County: 2,455 jobsAllendale County2,455McCormick County: 1,904 jobsMcCormick County1,904Greenville County: 291,794 jobsGreenville County291,794Charleston County: 274,104 jobsCharleston County274,104Richland County: 223,968 jobsRichland County223,968Spartanburg County: 152,492 jobsSpartanburg County152,492Horry County: 141,154 jobsHorry County141,154Lexington County: 130,111 jobsLexington County130,111York County: 104,039 jobsYork County104,039Anderson County: 71,479 jobsAnderson County71,479Beaufort County: 70,836 jobsBeaufort County70,836Florence County: 67,860 jobsFlorence County67,860Berkeley County: 63,992 jobsBerkeley County63,992Aiken County: 63,971 jobsAiken County63,971Dorchester County: 39,409 jobsDorchester County39,409Pickens County: 38,911 jobsPickens County38,911Sumter County: 35,576 jobsSumter County35,576Orangeburg County: 28,347 jobsOrangeburg County28,347Greenwood County: 27,583 jobsGreenwood County27,583Lancaster County: 27,415 jobsLancaster County27,415Oconee County: 25,506 jobsOconee County25,506Georgetown County: 25,449 jobsGeorgetown County25,449Laurens County: 20,497 jobsLaurens County20,497Darlington County: 20,357 jobsDarlington County20,357Cherokee County: 18,952 jobsCherokee County18,952Kershaw County: 18,409 jobsKershaw County18,409Newberry County: 14,883 jobsNewberry County14,883Chesterfield County: 14,560 jobsChesterfield County14,560Jasper County: 10,978 jobsJasper County10,978Chester County: 10,155 jobsChester County10,155Colleton County: 10,105 jobsColleton County10,105Dillon County: 9,588 jobsDillon County9,588Union County: 7,340 jobsUnion County7,340Williamsburg County: 7,243 jobsWilliamsburg County7,243Clarendon County: 6,824 jobsClarendon County6,824Marion County: 6,743 jobsMarion County6,743Fairfield County: 5,895 jobsFairfield County5,895Edgefield County: 5,730 jobsEdgefield County5,730Marlboro County: 5,528 jobsMarlboro County5,528Abbeville County: 5,374 jobsAbbeville County5,374Barnwell County: 4,999 jobsBarnwell County4,999Saluda County: 4,835 jobsSaluda County4,835Hampton County: 4,688 jobsHampton County4,688Calhoun County: 4,601 jobsCalhoun County4,601Lee County: 3,857 jobsLee County3,857Bamberg County: 3,533 jobsBamberg County3,533Allendale County: 2,455 jobsAllendale County2,455McCormick County: 1,904 jobsMcCormick County1,904
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

RankCounties2023
jobs		Change on 2022
1Greenville County291,794+1.6%
2Charleston County274,104+2.9%
3Richland County223,968+0.7%
4Spartanburg County152,492+1.8%
5Horry County141,154+3.1%
6Lexington County130,111+2.6%
7York County104,039+1.8%
8Anderson County71,479+2.3%
9Beaufort County70,836+2.4%
10Florence County67,860+2.2%
11Berkeley County63,992+8.1%
12Aiken County63,971+3.6%
13Dorchester County39,409+4.4%
14Pickens County38,911+4.9%
15Sumter County35,576-2.6%
16Orangeburg County28,347+1.6%
17Greenwood County27,583+1%
18Lancaster County27,415+0.9%
19Oconee County25,506+5.2%
20Georgetown County25,449+0.7%
21Laurens County20,497-1.2%
22Darlington County20,357-1.6%
23Cherokee County18,952-6%
24Kershaw County18,409+2.1%
25Newberry County14,883-2.8%
26Chesterfield County14,560-1.1%
27Jasper County10,978+8.7%
28Chester County10,155+3.8%
29Colleton County10,105+3.1%
30Dillon County9,588+1.7%
31Union County7,340-0.8%
32Williamsburg County7,243-5.9%
33Clarendon County6,824+2.2%
34Marion County6,743-1.1%
35Fairfield County5,895+5%
36Edgefield County5,730-2%
37Marlboro County5,528-8.2%
38Abbeville County5,374-0.8%
39Barnwell County4,999+1.3%
40Saluda County4,835+0.6%
41Hampton County4,688+2.9%
42Calhoun County4,601+1.4%
43Lee County3,857+5.7%
44Bamberg County3,533+1.4%
45Allendale County2,455+3.8%
46McCormick County1,904+1.1%

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/2023/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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-carolina-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/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 291,794 jobs in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McCormick County, with 1,904 jobs in 2023.

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