Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid

Greenville County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 46 counties in 2018, at $15.01 billion. McCormick County had the lowest, at $70.73 million. The median was $796.61 million and the figure for South Carolina was $102.9 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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Highest15,011.5Greenville County
Median796.646 counties
South Carolina102,899.5History

Map of counties, 2018

Abbeville County: 239.5 USD millionAiken County: 3,342.3 USD millionAllendale County: 127.8 USD millionAnderson County: 2,939.8 USD millionBamberg County: 146.7 USD millionBarnwell County: 232.2 USD millionBeaufort County: 3,544.6 USD millionBerkeley County: 3,164.4 USD millionCalhoun County: 213.9 USD millionCharleston County: 14,527.5 USD millionCherokee County: 835.5 USD millionChester County: 457.8 USD millionChesterfield County: 653.2 USD millionClarendon County: 248.3 USD millionColleton County: 430.2 USD millionDarlington County: 1,104.7 USD millionDillon County: 327.3 USD millionDorchester County: 1,574.7 USD millionEdgefield County: 234.6 USD millionFairfield County: 317 USD millionFlorence County: 3,176 USD millionGeorgetown County: 1,057.8 USD millionGreenville County: 15,011.5 USD millionGreenwood County: 1,309.7 USD millionHampton County: 217.1 USD millionHorry County: 5,194.7 USD millionJasper County: 406.8 USD millionKershaw County: 757.7 USD millionLancaster County: 1,391.7 USD millionLaurens County: 1,008.6 USD millionLee County: 155.5 USD millionLexington County: 5,702.3 USD millionMcCormick County: 70.7 USD millionMarion County: 255.5 USD millionMarlboro County: 345.9 USD millionNewberry County: 602.7 USD millionOconee County: 1,280.4 USD millionOrangeburg County: 1,247.6 USD millionPickens County: 1,667.8 USD millionRichland County: 12,133 USD millionSaluda County: 164.6 USD millionSpartanburg County: 7,331.1 USD millionSumter County: 2,067.3 USD millionUnion County: 339.7 USD millionWilliamsburg County: 346.9 USD millionYork County: 4,994.8 USD million
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 800
  • 800 to 1,400
  • 1,400 to 3,400
  • 3,400 and over
USD million, 2018. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2018

Greenville County: 15,011.5 USD millionGreenville County15,011.5Charleston County: 14,527.5 USD millionCharleston County14,527.5Richland County: 12,133 USD millionRichland County12,133Spartanburg County: 7,331.1 USD millionSpartanburg County7,331.1Lexington County: 5,702.3 USD millionLexington County5,702.3Horry County: 5,194.7 USD millionHorry County5,194.7York County: 4,994.8 USD millionYork County4,994.8Beaufort County: 3,544.6 USD millionBeaufort County3,544.6Aiken County: 3,342.3 USD millionAiken County3,342.3Florence County: 3,176 USD millionFlorence County3,176Berkeley County: 3,164.4 USD millionBerkeley County3,164.4Anderson County: 2,939.8 USD millionAnderson County2,939.8Sumter County: 2,067.3 USD millionSumter County2,067.3Pickens County: 1,667.8 USD millionPickens County1,667.8Dorchester County: 1,574.7 USD millionDorchester County1,574.7Lancaster County: 1,391.7 USD millionLancaster County1,391.7Greenwood County: 1,309.7 USD millionGreenwood County1,309.7Oconee County: 1,280.4 USD millionOconee County1,280.4Orangeburg County: 1,247.6 USD millionOrangeburg County1,247.6Darlington County: 1,104.7 USD millionDarlington County1,104.7Georgetown County: 1,057.8 USD millionGeorgetown County1,057.8Laurens County: 1,008.6 USD millionLaurens County1,008.6Cherokee County: 835.5 USD millionCherokee County835.5Kershaw County: 757.7 USD millionKershaw County757.7Chesterfield County: 653.2 USD millionChesterfield County653.2Newberry County: 602.7 USD millionNewberry County602.7Chester County: 457.8 USD millionChester County457.8Colleton County: 430.2 USD millionColleton County430.2Jasper County: 406.8 USD millionJasper County406.8Williamsburg County: 346.9 USD millionWilliamsburg County346.9Marlboro County: 345.9 USD millionMarlboro County345.9Union County: 339.7 USD millionUnion County339.7Dillon County: 327.3 USD millionDillon County327.3Fairfield County: 317 USD millionFairfield County317Marion County: 255.5 USD millionMarion County255.5Clarendon County: 248.3 USD millionClarendon County248.3Abbeville County: 239.5 USD millionAbbeville County239.5Edgefield County: 234.6 USD millionEdgefield County234.6Barnwell County: 232.2 USD millionBarnwell County232.2Hampton County: 217.1 USD millionHampton County217.1Calhoun County: 213.9 USD millionCalhoun County213.9Saluda County: 164.6 USD millionSaluda County164.6Lee County: 155.5 USD millionLee County155.5Bamberg County: 146.7 USD millionBamberg County146.7Allendale County: 127.8 USD millionAllendale County127.8McCormick County: 70.7 USD millionMcCormick County70.7Greenville County: 15,011.5 USD millionGreenville County15,011.5Charleston County: 14,527.5 USD millionCharleston County14,527.5Richland County: 12,133 USD millionRichland County12,133Spartanburg County: 7,331.1 USD millionSpartanburg County7,331.1Lexington County: 5,702.3 USD millionLexington County5,702.3Horry County: 5,194.7 USD millionHorry County5,194.7York County: 4,994.8 USD millionYork County4,994.8Beaufort County: 3,544.6 USD millionBeaufort County3,544.6Aiken County: 3,342.3 USD millionAiken County3,342.3Florence County: 3,176 USD millionFlorence County3,176Berkeley County: 3,164.4 USD millionBerkeley County3,164.4Anderson County: 2,939.8 USD millionAnderson County2,939.8Sumter County: 2,067.3 USD millionSumter County2,067.3Pickens County: 1,667.8 USD millionPickens County1,667.8Dorchester County: 1,574.7 USD millionDorchester County1,574.7Lancaster County: 1,391.7 USD millionLancaster County1,391.7Greenwood County: 1,309.7 USD millionGreenwood County1,309.7Oconee County: 1,280.4 USD millionOconee County1,280.4Orangeburg County: 1,247.6 USD millionOrangeburg County1,247.6Darlington County: 1,104.7 USD millionDarlington County1,104.7Georgetown County: 1,057.8 USD millionGeorgetown County1,057.8Laurens County: 1,008.6 USD millionLaurens County1,008.6Cherokee County: 835.5 USD millionCherokee County835.5Kershaw County: 757.7 USD millionKershaw County757.7Chesterfield County: 653.2 USD millionChesterfield County653.2Newberry County: 602.7 USD millionNewberry County602.7Chester County: 457.8 USD millionChester County457.8Colleton County: 430.2 USD millionColleton County430.2Jasper County: 406.8 USD millionJasper County406.8Williamsburg County: 346.9 USD millionWilliamsburg County346.9Marlboro County: 345.9 USD millionMarlboro County345.9Union County: 339.7 USD millionUnion County339.7Dillon County: 327.3 USD millionDillon County327.3Fairfield County: 317 USD millionFairfield County317Marion County: 255.5 USD millionMarion County255.5Clarendon County: 248.3 USD millionClarendon County248.3Abbeville County: 239.5 USD millionAbbeville County239.5Edgefield County: 234.6 USD millionEdgefield County234.6Barnwell County: 232.2 USD millionBarnwell County232.2Hampton County: 217.1 USD millionHampton County217.1Calhoun County: 213.9 USD millionCalhoun County213.9Saluda County: 164.6 USD millionSaluda County164.6Lee County: 155.5 USD millionLee County155.5Bamberg County: 146.7 USD millionBamberg County146.7Allendale County: 127.8 USD millionAllendale County127.8McCormick County: 70.7 USD millionMcCormick County70.7
USD million. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018
USD million
Change on 2017
1Greenville County15,011.5+4.7%
2Charleston County14,527.5+4.1%
3Richland County12,133+3.2%
4Spartanburg County7,331.1+4%
5Lexington County5,702.3+3%
6Horry County5,194.7+4.1%
7York County4,994.8+5.9%
8Beaufort County3,544.6+3.8%
9Aiken County3,342.3+3.7%
10Florence County3,176+2.9%
11Berkeley County3,164.4+8.8%
12Anderson County2,939.8+3.1%
13Sumter County2,067.3+3.4%
14Pickens County1,667.8+4.4%
15Dorchester County1,574.7+7.2%
16Lancaster County1,391.7+7%
17Greenwood County1,309.7+0.5%
18Oconee County1,280.4+4.6%
19Orangeburg County1,247.6+1.9%
20Darlington County1,104.7+6.4%
21Georgetown County1,057.8+3.1%
22Laurens County1,008.6+0.6%
23Cherokee County835.5+6%
24Kershaw County757.7+2.5%
25Chesterfield County653.2+5.5%
26Newberry County602.7+8.7%
27Chester County457.8+11.3%
28Colleton County430.2+4.3%
29Jasper County406.8+4.9%
30Williamsburg County346.9+2.9%
31Marlboro County345.9+4.3%
32Union County339.7+11.4%
33Dillon County327.3+2.1%
34Fairfield County317-51.5%
35Marion County255.5+5.7%
36Clarendon County248.3+2.5%
37Abbeville County239.5+3.7%
38Edgefield County234.6+5.9%
39Barnwell County232.2+13.8%
40Hampton County217.1+6.1%
41Calhoun County213.9-0.3%
42Saluda County164.6+1.2%
43Lee County155.5+7%
44Bamberg County146.7-2%
45Allendale County127.8+3.6%
46McCormick County70.7+3.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages and salaries paid to employees for jobs located in a place, including tips, bonuses and pay in kind, before deductions, in millions of current US dollars. United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, table SAINC4 line 50 for the nation and states and CAINC4 line 50 for counties.

Counted where the jobs are, not where the workers live, so places with many commuters coming in can pay more in wages than their residents receive in personal income (the District of Columbia does). Excludes employer contributions to pensions, insurance and social security, and the income of the self-employed.

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 Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. 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 Economic Analysis. (2026). CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents (Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip

MLA 9

CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid, 2018. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 5 Feb. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/05
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest wages and salaries paid?

Greenville County, with $15.01 billion in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

McCormick County, with $70.73 million in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Wages and salaries paid: other rankings

Counties in South Carolina: more rankings