Counties in South Carolina by employer firms

Charleston County had the highest employer firms of 46 counties in 2019, at 10,745. McCormick County had the lowest, at 82. The median was 797 and the figure for South Carolina was 76,776. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest10,745Charleston County
Median79746 counties
South Carolina76,776History

Map of counties, 2019

Abbeville County: 297 countAiken County: 2,177 countAllendale County: 112 countAnderson County: 3,055 countBamberg County: 221 countBarnwell County: 306 countBeaufort County: 4,357 countBerkeley County: 2,686 countCalhoun County: 221 countCharleston County: 10,745 countCherokee County: 820 countChester County: 464 countChesterfield County: 534 countClarendon County: 424 countColleton County: 637 countDarlington County: 889 countDillon County: 380 countDorchester County: 2,027 countEdgefield County: 283 countFairfield County: 244 countFlorence County: 2,524 countGeorgetown County: 1,412 countGreenville County: 10,274 countGreenwood County: 1,106 countHampton County: 278 countHorry County: 7,042 countJasper County: 620 countKershaw County: 956 countLancaster County: 1,196 countLaurens County: 774 countLee County: 182 countLexington County: 5,203 countMcCormick County: 82 countMarion County: 397 countMarlboro County: 281 countNewberry County: 659 countOconee County: 1,355 countOrangeburg County: 1,305 countPickens County: 1,759 countRichland County: 6,665 countSaluda County: 202 countSpartanburg County: 5,060 countSumter County: 1,453 countUnion County: 361 countWilliamsburg County: 410 countYork County: 4,259 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 800
  • 800 to 1,400
  • 1,400 to 3,700
  • 3,700 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Charleston County: 10,745 countCharleston County10,745Greenville County: 10,274 countGreenville County10,274Horry County: 7,042 countHorry County7,042Richland County: 6,665 countRichland County6,665Lexington County: 5,203 countLexington County5,203Spartanburg County: 5,060 countSpartanburg County5,060Beaufort County: 4,357 countBeaufort County4,357York County: 4,259 countYork County4,259Anderson County: 3,055 countAnderson County3,055Berkeley County: 2,686 countBerkeley County2,686Florence County: 2,524 countFlorence County2,524Aiken County: 2,177 countAiken County2,177Dorchester County: 2,027 countDorchester County2,027Pickens County: 1,759 countPickens County1,759Sumter County: 1,453 countSumter County1,453Georgetown County: 1,412 countGeorgetown County1,412Oconee County: 1,355 countOconee County1,355Orangeburg County: 1,305 countOrangeburg County1,305Lancaster County: 1,196 countLancaster County1,196Greenwood County: 1,106 countGreenwood County1,106Kershaw County: 956 countKershaw County956Darlington County: 889 countDarlington County889Cherokee County: 820 countCherokee County820Laurens County: 774 countLaurens County774Newberry County: 659 countNewberry County659Colleton County: 637 countColleton County637Jasper County: 620 countJasper County620Chesterfield County: 534 countChesterfield County534Chester County: 464 countChester County464Clarendon County: 424 countClarendon County424Williamsburg County: 410 countWilliamsburg County410Marion County: 397 countMarion County397Dillon County: 380 countDillon County380Union County: 361 countUnion County361Barnwell County: 306 countBarnwell County306Abbeville County: 297 countAbbeville County297Edgefield County: 283 countEdgefield County283Marlboro County: 281 countMarlboro County281Hampton County: 278 countHampton County278Fairfield County: 244 countFairfield County244Bamberg County: 221 countBamberg County221Calhoun County: 221 countCalhoun County221Saluda County: 202 countSaluda County202Lee County: 182 countLee County182Allendale County: 112 countAllendale County112McCormick County: 82 countMcCormick County82Charleston County: 10,745 countCharleston County10,745Greenville County: 10,274 countGreenville County10,274Horry County: 7,042 countHorry County7,042Richland County: 6,665 countRichland County6,665Lexington County: 5,203 countLexington County5,203Spartanburg County: 5,060 countSpartanburg County5,060Beaufort County: 4,357 countBeaufort County4,357York County: 4,259 countYork County4,259Anderson County: 3,055 countAnderson County3,055Berkeley County: 2,686 countBerkeley County2,686Florence County: 2,524 countFlorence County2,524Aiken County: 2,177 countAiken County2,177Dorchester County: 2,027 countDorchester County2,027Pickens County: 1,759 countPickens County1,759Sumter County: 1,453 countSumter County1,453Georgetown County: 1,412 countGeorgetown County1,412Oconee County: 1,355 countOconee County1,355Orangeburg County: 1,305 countOrangeburg County1,305Lancaster County: 1,196 countLancaster County1,196Greenwood County: 1,106 countGreenwood County1,106Kershaw County: 956 countKershaw County956Darlington County: 889 countDarlington County889Cherokee County: 820 countCherokee County820Laurens County: 774 countLaurens County774Newberry County: 659 countNewberry County659Colleton County: 637 countColleton County637Jasper County: 620 countJasper County620Chesterfield County: 534 countChesterfield County534Chester County: 464 countChester County464Clarendon County: 424 countClarendon County424Williamsburg County: 410 countWilliamsburg County410Marion County: 397 countMarion County397Dillon County: 380 countDillon County380Union County: 361 countUnion County361Barnwell County: 306 countBarnwell County306Abbeville County: 297 countAbbeville County297Edgefield County: 283 countEdgefield County283Marlboro County: 281 countMarlboro County281Hampton County: 278 countHampton County278Fairfield County: 244 countFairfield County244Bamberg County: 221 countBamberg County221Calhoun County: 221 countCalhoun County221Saluda County: 202 countSaluda County202Lee County: 182 countLee County182Allendale County: 112 countAllendale County112McCormick County: 82 countMcCormick County82
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Charleston County10,745+2.4%
2Greenville County10,274+2.2%
3Horry County7,042+2%
4Richland County6,665+1.4%
5Lexington County5,203+1.8%
6Spartanburg County5,060+1%
7Beaufort County4,357+1.9%
8York County4,259+2.5%
9Anderson County3,055+0.1%
10Berkeley County2,686+3.3%
11Florence County2,524+1.2%
12Aiken County2,177+0.6%
13Dorchester County2,027+3.4%
14Pickens County1,759+3.2%
15Sumter County1,453+0.8%
16Georgetown County1,412-1.2%
17Oconee County1,355+1%
18Orangeburg County1,305+1.5%
19Lancaster County1,196+3.5%
20Greenwood County1,106-0.9%
21Kershaw County956-0.7%
22Darlington County889-0.3%
23Cherokee County820-0.8%
24Laurens County774+1.3%
25Newberry County659+0.5%
26Colleton County637+0.5%
27Jasper County620+2.5%
28Chesterfield County534-0.6%
29Chester County464+0.2%
30Clarendon County424-1.9%
31Williamsburg County410-1%
32Marion County397-2.9%
33Dillon County380-3.8%
34Union County361+1.1%
35Barnwell County306-0.3%
36Abbeville County297-1.3%
37Edgefield County283+2.5%
38Marlboro County2810%
39Hampton County278+2.6%
40Fairfield County244-0.4%
41Bamberg County221-4.3%
41Calhoun County221+2.8%
43Saluda County202-4.7%
44Lee County182+2.2%
45Allendale County112+6.7%
46McCormick County82-1.2%

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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_carolina_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-carolina-counties?period=2019.
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?

Charleston County, with 10,745 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

McCormick County, with 82 in 2019.

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