Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid

Greenville County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 46 counties in 2021, at $17.38 billion. McCormick County had the lowest, at $69.52 million. The median was $874.07 million and the figure for South Carolina was $119.71 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest17,380.6Greenville County
Median874.146 counties
South Carolina119,713History

Map of counties, 2021

Abbeville County: 264.9 USD millionAiken County: 3,702.6 USD millionAllendale County: 123 USD millionAnderson County: 3,454.6 USD millionBamberg County: 153.5 USD millionBarnwell County: 201.3 USD millionBeaufort County: 4,288.7 USD millionBerkeley County: 3,884.2 USD millionCalhoun County: 241.9 USD millionCharleston County: 17,354.4 USD millionCherokee County: 910.7 USD millionChester County: 514.4 USD millionChesterfield County: 684.4 USD millionClarendon County: 294 USD millionColleton County: 473.5 USD millionDarlington County: 1,124 USD millionDillon County: 376.6 USD millionDorchester County: 1,837.6 USD millionEdgefield County: 265.1 USD millionFairfield County: 377.3 USD millionFlorence County: 3,689.8 USD millionGeorgetown County: 1,259.9 USD millionGreenville County: 17,380.6 USD millionGreenwood County: 1,439.9 USD millionHampton County: 222.2 USD millionHorry County: 6,344 USD millionJasper County: 514.9 USD millionKershaw County: 837.4 USD millionLancaster County: 1,655.5 USD millionLaurens County: 1,027.3 USD millionLee County: 174.6 USD millionLexington County: 6,774.8 USD millionMcCormick County: 69.5 USD millionMarion County: 299.7 USD millionMarlboro County: 365.8 USD millionNewberry County: 703.3 USD millionOconee County: 1,314.6 USD millionOrangeburg County: 1,345.1 USD millionPickens County: 1,932.8 USD millionRichland County: 13,825.1 USD millionSaluda County: 201.7 USD millionSpartanburg County: 8,553.2 USD millionSumter County: 2,316.5 USD millionUnion County: 363.7 USD millionWilliamsburg County: 351.8 USD millionYork County: 6,223.9 USD million
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 900
  • 900 to 1,700
  • 1,700 to 4,100
  • 4,100 and over
USD million, 2021. 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, 2021

Greenville County: 17,380.6 USD millionGreenville County17,380.6Charleston County: 17,354.4 USD millionCharleston County17,354.4Richland County: 13,825.1 USD millionRichland County13,825.1Spartanburg County: 8,553.2 USD millionSpartanburg County8,553.2Lexington County: 6,774.8 USD millionLexington County6,774.8Horry County: 6,344 USD millionHorry County6,344York County: 6,223.9 USD millionYork County6,223.9Beaufort County: 4,288.7 USD millionBeaufort County4,288.7Berkeley County: 3,884.2 USD millionBerkeley County3,884.2Aiken County: 3,702.6 USD millionAiken County3,702.6Florence County: 3,689.8 USD millionFlorence County3,689.8Anderson County: 3,454.6 USD millionAnderson County3,454.6Sumter County: 2,316.5 USD millionSumter County2,316.5Pickens County: 1,932.8 USD millionPickens County1,932.8Dorchester County: 1,837.6 USD millionDorchester County1,837.6Lancaster County: 1,655.5 USD millionLancaster County1,655.5Greenwood County: 1,439.9 USD millionGreenwood County1,439.9Orangeburg County: 1,345.1 USD millionOrangeburg County1,345.1Oconee County: 1,314.6 USD millionOconee County1,314.6Georgetown County: 1,259.9 USD millionGeorgetown County1,259.9Darlington County: 1,124 USD millionDarlington County1,124Laurens County: 1,027.3 USD millionLaurens County1,027.3Cherokee County: 910.7 USD millionCherokee County910.7Kershaw County: 837.4 USD millionKershaw County837.4Newberry County: 703.3 USD millionNewberry County703.3Chesterfield County: 684.4 USD millionChesterfield County684.4Jasper County: 514.9 USD millionJasper County514.9Chester County: 514.4 USD millionChester County514.4Colleton County: 473.5 USD millionColleton County473.5Fairfield County: 377.3 USD millionFairfield County377.3Dillon County: 376.6 USD millionDillon County376.6Marlboro County: 365.8 USD millionMarlboro County365.8Union County: 363.7 USD millionUnion County363.7Williamsburg County: 351.8 USD millionWilliamsburg County351.8Marion County: 299.7 USD millionMarion County299.7Clarendon County: 294 USD millionClarendon County294Edgefield County: 265.1 USD millionEdgefield County265.1Abbeville County: 264.9 USD millionAbbeville County264.9Calhoun County: 241.9 USD millionCalhoun County241.9Hampton County: 222.2 USD millionHampton County222.2Saluda County: 201.7 USD millionSaluda County201.7Barnwell County: 201.3 USD millionBarnwell County201.3Lee County: 174.6 USD millionLee County174.6Bamberg County: 153.5 USD millionBamberg County153.5Allendale County: 123 USD millionAllendale County123McCormick County: 69.5 USD millionMcCormick County69.5Greenville County: 17,380.6 USD millionGreenville County17,380.6Charleston County: 17,354.4 USD millionCharleston County17,354.4Richland County: 13,825.1 USD millionRichland County13,825.1Spartanburg County: 8,553.2 USD millionSpartanburg County8,553.2Lexington County: 6,774.8 USD millionLexington County6,774.8Horry County: 6,344 USD millionHorry County6,344York County: 6,223.9 USD millionYork County6,223.9Beaufort County: 4,288.7 USD millionBeaufort County4,288.7Berkeley County: 3,884.2 USD millionBerkeley County3,884.2Aiken County: 3,702.6 USD millionAiken County3,702.6Florence County: 3,689.8 USD millionFlorence County3,689.8Anderson County: 3,454.6 USD millionAnderson County3,454.6Sumter County: 2,316.5 USD millionSumter County2,316.5Pickens County: 1,932.8 USD millionPickens County1,932.8Dorchester County: 1,837.6 USD millionDorchester County1,837.6Lancaster County: 1,655.5 USD millionLancaster County1,655.5Greenwood County: 1,439.9 USD millionGreenwood County1,439.9Orangeburg County: 1,345.1 USD millionOrangeburg County1,345.1Oconee County: 1,314.6 USD millionOconee County1,314.6Georgetown County: 1,259.9 USD millionGeorgetown County1,259.9Darlington County: 1,124 USD millionDarlington County1,124Laurens County: 1,027.3 USD millionLaurens County1,027.3Cherokee County: 910.7 USD millionCherokee County910.7Kershaw County: 837.4 USD millionKershaw County837.4Newberry County: 703.3 USD millionNewberry County703.3Chesterfield County: 684.4 USD millionChesterfield County684.4Jasper County: 514.9 USD millionJasper County514.9Chester County: 514.4 USD millionChester County514.4Colleton County: 473.5 USD millionColleton County473.5Fairfield County: 377.3 USD millionFairfield County377.3Dillon County: 376.6 USD millionDillon County376.6Marlboro County: 365.8 USD millionMarlboro County365.8Union County: 363.7 USD millionUnion County363.7Williamsburg County: 351.8 USD millionWilliamsburg County351.8Marion County: 299.7 USD millionMarion County299.7Clarendon County: 294 USD millionClarendon County294Edgefield County: 265.1 USD millionEdgefield County265.1Abbeville County: 264.9 USD millionAbbeville County264.9Calhoun County: 241.9 USD millionCalhoun County241.9Hampton County: 222.2 USD millionHampton County222.2Saluda County: 201.7 USD millionSaluda County201.7Barnwell County: 201.3 USD millionBarnwell County201.3Lee County: 174.6 USD millionLee County174.6Bamberg County: 153.5 USD millionBamberg County153.5Allendale County: 123 USD millionAllendale County123McCormick County: 69.5 USD millionMcCormick County69.5
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

RankCounties2021
USD million
Change on 2020
1Greenville County17,380.6+9.5%
2Charleston County17,354.4+11.2%
3Richland County13,825.1+7.5%
4Spartanburg County8,553.2+6.9%
5Lexington County6,774.8+7.5%
6Horry County6,344+15.5%
7York County6,223.9+9.4%
8Beaufort County4,288.7+10.2%
9Berkeley County3,884.2+9.7%
10Aiken County3,702.6+5.1%
11Florence County3,689.8+8.2%
12Anderson County3,454.6+8.6%
13Sumter County2,316.5+7.2%
14Pickens County1,932.8+7.7%
15Dorchester County1,837.6+9%
16Lancaster County1,655.5+7.5%
17Greenwood County1,439.9+3.5%
18Orangeburg County1,345.1+4%
19Oconee County1,314.6+3%
20Georgetown County1,259.9+7.5%
21Darlington County1,124+3.9%
22Laurens County1,027.3+7.2%
23Cherokee County910.7+6.6%
24Kershaw County837.4+6.6%
25Newberry County703.3+8.1%
26Chesterfield County684.4+5.6%
27Jasper County514.9+11.5%
28Chester County514.4+5.7%
29Colleton County473.5+5.1%
30Fairfield County377.3+11%
31Dillon County376.6+4.5%
32Marlboro County365.8+13.1%
33Union County363.7+5.7%
34Williamsburg County351.8+1.7%
35Marion County299.7+6.3%
36Clarendon County294+11.2%
37Edgefield County265.1+11.4%
38Abbeville County264.9+5.7%
39Calhoun County241.9+3.5%
40Hampton County222.2-1.3%
41Saluda County201.7+6.1%
42Barnwell County201.3-1.1%
43Lee County174.6+5%
44Bamberg County153.5+3.2%
45Allendale County123+2.5%
46McCormick County69.5+9.1%

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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2021.
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 $17.38 billion in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

McCormick County, with $69.52 million in 2021.

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