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

Counties in South Carolina by establishment exit rate

Hampton County had the highest establishment exit rate of 46 counties in 2020, at 12.069%. Fairfield County had the lowest, at 4.096%. The median was 8.041% and the figure for South Carolina was 8.54%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest12.069Hampton County
Lowest4.096Fairfield County
Median8.04146 counties
South Carolina8.54History

Map of counties, 2020

Abbeville County: 9.756 %Aiken County: 6.33 %Allendale County: 9.607 %Anderson County: 7.669 %Bamberg County: 5.785 %Barnwell County: 7.385 %Beaufort County: 8.937 %Berkeley County: 9.597 %Calhoun County: 7.456 %Charleston County: 9.791 %Cherokee County: 7.769 %Chester County: 6.739 %Chesterfield County: 7.52 %Clarendon County: 9.685 %Colleton County: 7.885 %Darlington County: 7.632 %Dillon County: 6.512 %Dorchester County: 10.004 %Edgefield County: 8.122 %Fairfield County: 4.096 %Florence County: 7.643 %Georgetown County: 7.777 %Greenville County: 8.575 %Greenwood County: 6.815 %Hampton County: 12.069 %Horry County: 8.882 %Jasper County: 8.74 %Kershaw County: 8.604 %Lancaster County: 8.705 %Laurens County: 7.963 %Lee County: 8.971 %Lexington County: 8.016 %McCormick County: 9.249 %Marion County: 7.333 %Marlboro County: 8.065 %Newberry County: 5.017 %Oconee County: 8.119 %Orangeburg County: 8.868 %Pickens County: 9.862 %Richland County: 8.755 %Saluda County: 7.547 %Spartanburg County: 7.908 %Sumter County: 8.094 %Union County: 7.874 %Williamsburg County: 7.848 %York County: 8.828 %
  • Under 7.4
  • 7.4 to 7.8
  • 7.8 to 8
  • 8 to 8.7
  • 8.7 to 9.4
  • 9.4 and over
%, 2020. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2020

Hampton County: 12.069 %Hampton County12.069Dorchester County: 10.004 %Dorchester County10.004Pickens County: 9.862 %Pickens County9.862Charleston County: 9.791 %Charleston County9.791Abbeville County: 9.756 %Abbeville County9.756Clarendon County: 9.685 %Clarendon County9.685Allendale County: 9.607 %Allendale County9.607Berkeley County: 9.597 %Berkeley County9.597McCormick County: 9.249 %McCormick County9.249Lee County: 8.971 %Lee County8.971Beaufort County: 8.937 %Beaufort County8.937Horry County: 8.882 %Horry County8.882Orangeburg County: 8.868 %Orangeburg County8.868York County: 8.828 %York County8.828Richland County: 8.755 %Richland County8.755Jasper County: 8.74 %Jasper County8.74Lancaster County: 8.705 %Lancaster County8.705Kershaw County: 8.604 %Kershaw County8.604Greenville County: 8.575 %Greenville County8.575Edgefield County: 8.122 %Edgefield County8.122Oconee County: 8.119 %Oconee County8.119Sumter County: 8.094 %Sumter County8.094Marlboro County: 8.065 %Marlboro County8.065Lexington County: 8.016 %Lexington County8.016Laurens County: 7.963 %Laurens County7.963Spartanburg County: 7.908 %Spartanburg County7.908Colleton County: 7.885 %Colleton County7.885Union County: 7.874 %Union County7.874Williamsburg County: 7.848 %Williamsburg County7.848Georgetown County: 7.777 %Georgetown County7.777Cherokee County: 7.769 %Cherokee County7.769Anderson County: 7.669 %Anderson County7.669Florence County: 7.643 %Florence County7.643Darlington County: 7.632 %Darlington County7.632Saluda County: 7.547 %Saluda County7.547Chesterfield County: 7.52 %Chesterfield County7.52Calhoun County: 7.456 %Calhoun County7.456Barnwell County: 7.385 %Barnwell County7.385Marion County: 7.333 %Marion County7.333Greenwood County: 6.815 %Greenwood County6.815Chester County: 6.739 %Chester County6.739Dillon County: 6.512 %Dillon County6.512Aiken County: 6.33 %Aiken County6.33Bamberg County: 5.785 %Bamberg County5.785Newberry County: 5.017 %Newberry County5.017Fairfield County: 4.096 %Fairfield County4.096Hampton County: 12.069 %Hampton County12.069Dorchester County: 10.004 %Dorchester County10.004Pickens County: 9.862 %Pickens County9.862Charleston County: 9.791 %Charleston County9.791Abbeville County: 9.756 %Abbeville County9.756Clarendon County: 9.685 %Clarendon County9.685Allendale County: 9.607 %Allendale County9.607Berkeley County: 9.597 %Berkeley County9.597McCormick County: 9.249 %McCormick County9.249Lee County: 8.971 %Lee County8.971Beaufort County: 8.937 %Beaufort County8.937Horry County: 8.882 %Horry County8.882Orangeburg County: 8.868 %Orangeburg County8.868York County: 8.828 %York County8.828Richland County: 8.755 %Richland County8.755Jasper County: 8.74 %Jasper County8.74Lancaster County: 8.705 %Lancaster County8.705Kershaw County: 8.604 %Kershaw County8.604Greenville County: 8.575 %Greenville County8.575Edgefield County: 8.122 %Edgefield County8.122Oconee County: 8.119 %Oconee County8.119Sumter County: 8.094 %Sumter County8.094Marlboro County: 8.065 %Marlboro County8.065Lexington County: 8.016 %Lexington County8.016Laurens County: 7.963 %Laurens County7.963Spartanburg County: 7.908 %Spartanburg County7.908Colleton County: 7.885 %Colleton County7.885Union County: 7.874 %Union County7.874Williamsburg County: 7.848 %Williamsburg County7.848Georgetown County: 7.777 %Georgetown County7.777Cherokee County: 7.769 %Cherokee County7.769Anderson County: 7.669 %Anderson County7.669Florence County: 7.643 %Florence County7.643Darlington County: 7.632 %Darlington County7.632Saluda County: 7.547 %Saluda County7.547Chesterfield County: 7.52 %Chesterfield County7.52Calhoun County: 7.456 %Calhoun County7.456Barnwell County: 7.385 %Barnwell County7.385Marion County: 7.333 %Marion County7.333Greenwood County: 6.815 %Greenwood County6.815Chester County: 6.739 %Chester County6.739Dillon County: 6.512 %Dillon County6.512Aiken County: 6.33 %Aiken County6.33Bamberg County: 5.785 %Bamberg County5.785Newberry County: 5.017 %Newberry County5.017Fairfield County: 4.096 %Fairfield County4.096
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Hampton County12.069+3.59 pts
2Dorchester County10.004+1.16 pts
3Pickens County9.862+1.9 pts
4Charleston County9.791+0.84 pts
5Abbeville County9.756+1.5 pts
6Clarendon County9.685+0.37 pts
7Allendale County9.607+7.01 pts
8Berkeley County9.597-0.3 pts
9McCormick County9.249+2.15 pts
10Lee County8.971+3.71 pts
11Beaufort County8.937+0.44 pts
12Horry County8.882+0.3 pts
13Orangeburg County8.868+2.53 pts
14York County8.828+0.9 pts
15Richland County8.755+1.26 pts
16Jasper County8.74-0.25 pts
17Lancaster County8.705+1.49 pts
18Kershaw County8.604+0.63 pts
19Greenville County8.575+0.67 pts
20Edgefield County8.122-0.84 pts
21Oconee County8.119+0.6 pts
22Sumter County8.094+2 pts
23Marlboro County8.065+3.53 pts
24Lexington County8.016+0.6 pts
25Laurens County7.963+1.45 pts
26Spartanburg County7.908+1.37 pts
27Colleton County7.885+1.16 pts
28Union County7.874+1.7 pts
29Williamsburg County7.848+0.09 pts
30Georgetown County7.777-2.31 pts
31Cherokee County7.769+1.22 pts
32Anderson County7.669+0.02 pts
33Florence County7.643+1.79 pts
34Darlington County7.632+0.64 pts
35Saluda County7.547-4.66 pts
36Chesterfield County7.52+2.74 pts
37Calhoun County7.456+2.22 pts
38Barnwell County7.385-0.54 pts
39Marion County7.333-0.26 pts
40Greenwood County6.815-0.81 pts
41Chester County6.739+0.57 pts
42Dillon County6.512-3.51 pts
43Aiken County6.33-0.37 pts
44Bamberg County5.785-3.02 pts
45Newberry County5.017-1.12 pts
46Fairfield County4.096-3.96 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

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

Counts closed locations, including branches of firms that keep operating elsewhere, so it is not a firm failure rate. Not comparable with enterprise_death_rate, which counts enterprise deaths 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 exit 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 exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in South Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2020) [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 exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in South Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2020. 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-exit-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in South Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2020. 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-exit-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in South Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2020 [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-exit-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_carolina_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in South Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2020}},
  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-exit-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit 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 exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in South Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2020
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-exit-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/south-carolina-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit 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 exit rate?

Hampton County, with 12.069% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment exit rate?

Fairfield County, with 4.096% in 2020.

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

Establishment exit rate: other rankings

Counties in South Carolina: more rankings