Counties in South Carolina by employer firms

Greenville County had the highest employer firms of 46 counties in 2013, at 9,287. McCormick County had the lowest, at 88. The median was 823 and the figure for South Carolina was 70,682. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest9,287Greenville County
Median82346 counties
South Carolina70,682History

Map of counties, 2013

Abbeville County: 286 countAiken County: 2,083 countAllendale County: 108 countAnderson County: 2,969 countBamberg County: 230 countBarnwell County: 312 countBeaufort County: 3,824 countBerkeley County: 2,223 countCalhoun County: 215 countCharleston County: 9,118 countCherokee County: 854 countChester County: 461 countChesterfield County: 553 countClarendon County: 428 countColleton County: 633 countDarlington County: 918 countDillon County: 414 countDorchester County: 1,755 countEdgefield County: 280 countFairfield County: 242 countFlorence County: 2,455 countGeorgetown County: 1,367 countGreenville County: 9,287 countGreenwood County: 1,112 countHampton County: 280 countHorry County: 6,147 countJasper County: 503 countKershaw County: 919 countLancaster County: 1,019 countLaurens County: 791 countLee County: 182 countLexington County: 4,882 countMcCormick County: 88 countMarion County: 432 countMarlboro County: 295 countNewberry County: 623 countOconee County: 1,278 countOrangeburg County: 1,307 countPickens County: 1,655 countRichland County: 6,373 countSaluda County: 234 countSpartanburg County: 4,805 countSumter County: 1,458 countUnion County: 373 countWilliamsburg County: 417 countYork County: 3,632 count
  • Under 280
  • 280 to 430
  • 430 to 820
  • 820 to 1,400
  • 1,400 to 3,300
  • 3,300 and over
count, 2013. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2013

Greenville County: 9,287 countGreenville County9,287Charleston County: 9,118 countCharleston County9,118Richland County: 6,373 countRichland County6,373Horry County: 6,147 countHorry County6,147Lexington County: 4,882 countLexington County4,882Spartanburg County: 4,805 countSpartanburg County4,805Beaufort County: 3,824 countBeaufort County3,824York County: 3,632 countYork County3,632Anderson County: 2,969 countAnderson County2,969Florence County: 2,455 countFlorence County2,455Berkeley County: 2,223 countBerkeley County2,223Aiken County: 2,083 countAiken County2,083Dorchester County: 1,755 countDorchester County1,755Pickens County: 1,655 countPickens County1,655Sumter County: 1,458 countSumter County1,458Georgetown County: 1,367 countGeorgetown County1,367Orangeburg County: 1,307 countOrangeburg County1,307Oconee County: 1,278 countOconee County1,278Greenwood County: 1,112 countGreenwood County1,112Lancaster County: 1,019 countLancaster County1,019Kershaw County: 919 countKershaw County919Darlington County: 918 countDarlington County918Cherokee County: 854 countCherokee County854Laurens County: 791 countLaurens County791Colleton County: 633 countColleton County633Newberry County: 623 countNewberry County623Chesterfield County: 553 countChesterfield County553Jasper County: 503 countJasper County503Chester County: 461 countChester County461Marion County: 432 countMarion County432Clarendon County: 428 countClarendon County428Williamsburg County: 417 countWilliamsburg County417Dillon County: 414 countDillon County414Union County: 373 countUnion County373Barnwell County: 312 countBarnwell County312Marlboro County: 295 countMarlboro County295Abbeville County: 286 countAbbeville County286Edgefield County: 280 countEdgefield County280Hampton County: 280 countHampton County280Fairfield County: 242 countFairfield County242Saluda County: 234 countSaluda County234Bamberg County: 230 countBamberg County230Calhoun County: 215 countCalhoun County215Lee County: 182 countLee County182Allendale County: 108 countAllendale County108McCormick County: 88 countMcCormick County88Greenville County: 9,287 countGreenville County9,287Charleston County: 9,118 countCharleston County9,118Richland County: 6,373 countRichland County6,373Horry County: 6,147 countHorry County6,147Lexington County: 4,882 countLexington County4,882Spartanburg County: 4,805 countSpartanburg County4,805Beaufort County: 3,824 countBeaufort County3,824York County: 3,632 countYork County3,632Anderson County: 2,969 countAnderson County2,969Florence County: 2,455 countFlorence County2,455Berkeley County: 2,223 countBerkeley County2,223Aiken County: 2,083 countAiken County2,083Dorchester County: 1,755 countDorchester County1,755Pickens County: 1,655 countPickens County1,655Sumter County: 1,458 countSumter County1,458Georgetown County: 1,367 countGeorgetown County1,367Orangeburg County: 1,307 countOrangeburg County1,307Oconee County: 1,278 countOconee County1,278Greenwood County: 1,112 countGreenwood County1,112Lancaster County: 1,019 countLancaster County1,019Kershaw County: 919 countKershaw County919Darlington County: 918 countDarlington County918Cherokee County: 854 countCherokee County854Laurens County: 791 countLaurens County791Colleton County: 633 countColleton County633Newberry County: 623 countNewberry County623Chesterfield County: 553 countChesterfield County553Jasper County: 503 countJasper County503Chester County: 461 countChester County461Marion County: 432 countMarion County432Clarendon County: 428 countClarendon County428Williamsburg County: 417 countWilliamsburg County417Dillon County: 414 countDillon County414Union County: 373 countUnion County373Barnwell County: 312 countBarnwell County312Marlboro County: 295 countMarlboro County295Abbeville County: 286 countAbbeville County286Edgefield County: 280 countEdgefield County280Hampton County: 280 countHampton County280Fairfield County: 242 countFairfield County242Saluda County: 234 countSaluda County234Bamberg County: 230 countBamberg County230Calhoun County: 215 countCalhoun County215Lee County: 182 countLee County182Allendale County: 108 countAllendale County108McCormick County: 88 countMcCormick County88
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2013
count
Change on 2012
1Greenville County9,287+1.3%
2Charleston County9,118+1.7%
3Richland County6,373+0.2%
4Horry County6,147+1.1%
5Lexington County4,882+0.9%
6Spartanburg County4,805+0.2%
7Beaufort County3,824+0.5%
8York County3,632+1.2%
9Anderson County2,969-0.8%
10Florence County2,455-1.4%
11Berkeley County2,223+1.1%
12Aiken County2,083-1.1%
13Dorchester County1,755-1.2%
14Pickens County1,655-0.2%
15Sumter County1,458+1%
16Georgetown County1,367-0.1%
17Orangeburg County1,307-1.1%
18Oconee County1,278+0.2%
19Greenwood County1,112-2.9%
20Lancaster County1,019-1.7%
21Kershaw County919-1%
22Darlington County918-1%
23Cherokee County854-0.4%
24Laurens County791-0.9%
25Colleton County633-1.1%
26Newberry County623+0.2%
27Chesterfield County553-1.4%
28Jasper County503-0.4%
29Chester County461+2.4%
30Marion County432+1.2%
31Clarendon County428-2.5%
32Williamsburg County417-4.4%
33Dillon County414+0.2%
34Union County373-2.1%
35Barnwell County312+2.3%
36Marlboro County295-1.3%
37Abbeville County286-2.4%
38Edgefield County280-2.4%
38Hampton County280-5.1%
40Fairfield County242-0.8%
41Saluda County234-0.8%
42Bamberg County230-3.4%
43Calhoun County215-0.9%
44Lee County182-1.6%
45Allendale County108-3.6%
46McCormick County88-2.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.

Excludes nonemployer businesses. Differs from active_companies, the INE DIRCE count, which includes businesses without employees.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (Counties in South Carolina by employer firms, 2013) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in South Carolina by employer firms, 2013. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-carolina-counties?period=2013. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Counties in South Carolina by employer firms, 2013. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-carolina-counties?period=2013.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in South Carolina by employer firms, 2013 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-carolina-counties?period=2013 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_carolina_2013,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in South Carolina by employer firms, 2013}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-carolina-counties?period=2013. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in South Carolina by employer firms, 2013
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-carolina-counties?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-carolina-counties?period=2013.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

Greenville County, with 9,287 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

McCormick County, with 88 in 2013.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in South Carolina: more rankings