Data / Rankings / Establishment entry rate / Counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina by establishment entry rate

Lancaster County had the highest establishment entry rate of 46 counties in 2017, at 12.272%. Chesterfield County had the lowest, at 5.3%. The median was 8.244% and the figure for South Carolina was 9.39%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest12.272Lancaster County
Lowest5.3Chesterfield County
Median8.24446 counties
South Carolina9.39History

Map of counties, 2017

Abbeville County: 8.989 %Aiken County: 7.183 %Allendale County: 8.036 %Anderson County: 8.247 %Bamberg County: 5.691 %Barnwell County: 8.593 %Beaufort County: 10.23 %Berkeley County: 11.709 %Calhoun County: 7.912 %Charleston County: 10.911 %Cherokee County: 6.863 %Chester County: 8.35 %Chesterfield County: 5.3 %Clarendon County: 8.486 %Colleton County: 8.834 %Darlington County: 8.594 %Dillon County: 8.241 %Dorchester County: 11.137 %Edgefield County: 8.547 %Fairfield County: 7.192 %Florence County: 7.639 %Georgetown County: 7.967 %Greenville County: 9.776 %Greenwood County: 6.603 %Hampton County: 8.784 %Horry County: 10.773 %Jasper County: 11.895 %Kershaw County: 7.565 %Lancaster County: 12.272 %Laurens County: 6.674 %Lee County: 6.952 %Lexington County: 8.588 %McCormick County: 7.018 %Marion County: 5.714 %Marlboro County: 7.04 %Newberry County: 8.529 %Oconee County: 7.247 %Orangeburg County: 7.569 %Pickens County: 8.823 %Richland County: 9.36 %Saluda County: 6.757 %Spartanburg County: 8.286 %Sumter County: 6.388 %Union County: 5.405 %Williamsburg County: 5.819 %York County: 11.84 %
  • Under 6.7
  • 6.7 to 7.2
  • 7.2 to 8.2
  • 8.2 to 8.6
  • 8.6 to 10
  • 10 and over
%, 2017. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2017

Lancaster County: 12.272 %Lancaster County12.272Jasper County: 11.895 %Jasper County11.895York County: 11.84 %York County11.84Berkeley County: 11.709 %Berkeley County11.709Dorchester County: 11.137 %Dorchester County11.137Charleston County: 10.911 %Charleston County10.911Horry County: 10.773 %Horry County10.773Beaufort County: 10.23 %Beaufort County10.23Greenville County: 9.776 %Greenville County9.776Richland County: 9.36 %Richland County9.36Abbeville County: 8.989 %Abbeville County8.989Colleton County: 8.834 %Colleton County8.834Pickens County: 8.823 %Pickens County8.823Hampton County: 8.784 %Hampton County8.784Darlington County: 8.594 %Darlington County8.594Barnwell County: 8.593 %Barnwell County8.593Lexington County: 8.588 %Lexington County8.588Edgefield County: 8.547 %Edgefield County8.547Newberry County: 8.529 %Newberry County8.529Clarendon County: 8.486 %Clarendon County8.486Chester County: 8.35 %Chester County8.35Spartanburg County: 8.286 %Spartanburg County8.286Anderson County: 8.247 %Anderson County8.247Dillon County: 8.241 %Dillon County8.241Allendale County: 8.036 %Allendale County8.036Georgetown County: 7.967 %Georgetown County7.967Calhoun County: 7.912 %Calhoun County7.912Florence County: 7.639 %Florence County7.639Orangeburg County: 7.569 %Orangeburg County7.569Kershaw County: 7.565 %Kershaw County7.565Oconee County: 7.247 %Oconee County7.247Fairfield County: 7.192 %Fairfield County7.192Aiken County: 7.183 %Aiken County7.183Marlboro County: 7.04 %Marlboro County7.04McCormick County: 7.018 %McCormick County7.018Lee County: 6.952 %Lee County6.952Cherokee County: 6.863 %Cherokee County6.863Saluda County: 6.757 %Saluda County6.757Laurens County: 6.674 %Laurens County6.674Greenwood County: 6.603 %Greenwood County6.603Sumter County: 6.388 %Sumter County6.388Williamsburg County: 5.819 %Williamsburg County5.819Marion County: 5.714 %Marion County5.714Bamberg County: 5.691 %Bamberg County5.691Union County: 5.405 %Union County5.405Chesterfield County: 5.3 %Chesterfield County5.3Lancaster County: 12.272 %Lancaster County12.272Jasper County: 11.895 %Jasper County11.895York County: 11.84 %York County11.84Berkeley County: 11.709 %Berkeley County11.709Dorchester County: 11.137 %Dorchester County11.137Charleston County: 10.911 %Charleston County10.911Horry County: 10.773 %Horry County10.773Beaufort County: 10.23 %Beaufort County10.23Greenville County: 9.776 %Greenville County9.776Richland County: 9.36 %Richland County9.36Abbeville County: 8.989 %Abbeville County8.989Colleton County: 8.834 %Colleton County8.834Pickens County: 8.823 %Pickens County8.823Hampton County: 8.784 %Hampton County8.784Darlington County: 8.594 %Darlington County8.594Barnwell County: 8.593 %Barnwell County8.593Lexington County: 8.588 %Lexington County8.588Edgefield County: 8.547 %Edgefield County8.547Newberry County: 8.529 %Newberry County8.529Clarendon County: 8.486 %Clarendon County8.486Chester County: 8.35 %Chester County8.35Spartanburg County: 8.286 %Spartanburg County8.286Anderson County: 8.247 %Anderson County8.247Dillon County: 8.241 %Dillon County8.241Allendale County: 8.036 %Allendale County8.036Georgetown County: 7.967 %Georgetown County7.967Calhoun County: 7.912 %Calhoun County7.912Florence County: 7.639 %Florence County7.639Orangeburg County: 7.569 %Orangeburg County7.569Kershaw County: 7.565 %Kershaw County7.565Oconee County: 7.247 %Oconee County7.247Fairfield County: 7.192 %Fairfield County7.192Aiken County: 7.183 %Aiken County7.183Marlboro County: 7.04 %Marlboro County7.04McCormick County: 7.018 %McCormick County7.018Lee County: 6.952 %Lee County6.952Cherokee County: 6.863 %Cherokee County6.863Saluda County: 6.757 %Saluda County6.757Laurens County: 6.674 %Laurens County6.674Greenwood County: 6.603 %Greenwood County6.603Sumter County: 6.388 %Sumter County6.388Williamsburg County: 5.819 %Williamsburg County5.819Marion County: 5.714 %Marion County5.714Bamberg County: 5.691 %Bamberg County5.691Union County: 5.405 %Union County5.405Chesterfield County: 5.3 %Chesterfield County5.3
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Lancaster County12.272+2.64 pts
2Jasper County11.895+1.5 pts
3York County11.84+1.11 pts
4Berkeley County11.709-0.45 pts
5Dorchester County11.137-0.08 pts
6Charleston County10.911-1.59 pts
7Horry County10.773-0.42 pts
8Beaufort County10.23-0.38 pts
9Greenville County9.776-0.72 pts
10Richland County9.36-0.17 pts
11Abbeville County8.989+1.84 pts
12Colleton County8.834+0.8 pts
13Pickens County8.823-0.68 pts
14Hampton County8.784-0.01 pts
15Darlington County8.594+1.48 pts
16Barnwell County8.593+0.36 pts
17Lexington County8.588-1.1 pts
18Edgefield County8.547-2.74 pts
19Newberry County8.529+1.05 pts
20Clarendon County8.486+1.33 pts
21Chester County8.35+1.72 pts
22Spartanburg County8.286+0.57 pts
23Anderson County8.247-0.41 pts
24Dillon County8.241+2.49 pts
25Allendale County8.036-1.53 pts
26Georgetown County7.967-2.31 pts
27Calhoun County7.912-1.69 pts
28Florence County7.639-0.75 pts
29Orangeburg County7.569-0.03 pts
30Kershaw County7.565-0.5 pts
31Oconee County7.247-0.84 pts
32Fairfield County7.192-1.74 pts
33Aiken County7.183-1.89 pts
34Marlboro County7.04+2.71 pts
35McCormick County7.018-4.96 pts
36Lee County6.952+1.16 pts
37Cherokee County6.863-0.95 pts
38Saluda County6.757+2.34 pts
39Laurens County6.674-0.42 pts
40Greenwood County6.603-0.12 pts
41Sumter County6.388-1.14 pts
42Williamsburg County5.819-2.27 pts
43Marion County5.714+1.32 pts
44Bamberg County5.691+0.48 pts
45Union County5.405+0.24 pts
46Chesterfield County5.3-1.92 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Establishments that opened during the year (employees in March of the year and none a year earlier), as a percentage of the average number of establishments in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

An establishment is a single physical location, so a new branch of an existing firm counts as an entry: this is not the rate of new firms. Not comparable with enterprise_birth_rate, which counts new enterprises in Europe. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in South Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in South Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2017. 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/establishment-entry-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in South Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in South Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_carolina_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in South Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2017}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in South Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2017
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/establishment-entry-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest establishment entry rate?

Lancaster County, with 12.272% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Chesterfield County, with 5.3% in 2017.

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: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Establishment entry rate: other rankings

Counties in South Carolina: more rankings