Counties in South Carolina by wages and salaries paid

Charleston County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 46 counties in 2023, at $21.08 billion. McCormick County had the lowest, at $81.91 million. The median was $978.77 million and the figure for South Carolina was $141.02 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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Highest21,083Charleston County
Median978.846 counties
South Carolina141,021.8History

Map of counties, 2023

Abbeville County: 293.3 USD millionAiken County: 4,424.8 USD millionAllendale County: 141.2 USD millionAnderson County: 4,014.2 USD millionBamberg County: 181.1 USD millionBarnwell County: 241.4 USD millionBeaufort County: 4,848.8 USD millionBerkeley County: 4,882.4 USD millionCalhoun County: 301.3 USD millionCharleston County: 21,083 USD millionCherokee County: 968.5 USD millionChester County: 641.9 USD millionChesterfield County: 771.9 USD millionClarendon County: 336.2 USD millionColleton County: 554.7 USD millionDarlington County: 1,301 USD millionDillon County: 434.6 USD millionDorchester County: 2,343 USD millionEdgefield County: 323.8 USD millionFairfield County: 418.6 USD millionFlorence County: 4,238.5 USD millionGeorgetown County: 1,439.6 USD millionGreenville County: 20,639.9 USD millionGreenwood County: 1,598.9 USD millionHampton County: 253 USD millionHorry County: 7,707.3 USD millionJasper County: 655.7 USD millionKershaw County: 989.1 USD millionLancaster County: 1,986.8 USD millionLaurens County: 1,140.1 USD millionLee County: 204.7 USD millionLexington County: 8,042.3 USD millionMcCormick County: 81.9 USD millionMarion County: 342.1 USD millionMarlboro County: 345.3 USD millionNewberry County: 786.2 USD millionOconee County: 1,590.8 USD millionOrangeburg County: 1,492.1 USD millionPickens County: 2,276.9 USD millionRichland County: 16,317.9 USD millionSaluda County: 236.4 USD millionSpartanburg County: 9,726.4 USD millionSumter County: 2,569.7 USD millionUnion County: 385 USD millionWilliamsburg County: 359.8 USD millionYork County: 7,109.2 USD million
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 4,900
  • 4,900 and over
USD million, 2023. 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, 2023

Charleston County: 21,083 USD millionCharleston County21,083Greenville County: 20,639.9 USD millionGreenville County20,639.9Richland County: 16,317.9 USD millionRichland County16,317.9Spartanburg County: 9,726.4 USD millionSpartanburg County9,726.4Lexington County: 8,042.3 USD millionLexington County8,042.3Horry County: 7,707.3 USD millionHorry County7,707.3York County: 7,109.2 USD millionYork County7,109.2Berkeley County: 4,882.4 USD millionBerkeley County4,882.4Beaufort County: 4,848.8 USD millionBeaufort County4,848.8Aiken County: 4,424.8 USD millionAiken County4,424.8Florence County: 4,238.5 USD millionFlorence County4,238.5Anderson County: 4,014.2 USD millionAnderson County4,014.2Sumter County: 2,569.7 USD millionSumter County2,569.7Dorchester County: 2,343 USD millionDorchester County2,343Pickens County: 2,276.9 USD millionPickens County2,276.9Lancaster County: 1,986.8 USD millionLancaster County1,986.8Greenwood County: 1,598.9 USD millionGreenwood County1,598.9Oconee County: 1,590.8 USD millionOconee County1,590.8Orangeburg County: 1,492.1 USD millionOrangeburg County1,492.1Georgetown County: 1,439.6 USD millionGeorgetown County1,439.6Darlington County: 1,301 USD millionDarlington County1,301Laurens County: 1,140.1 USD millionLaurens County1,140.1Kershaw County: 989.1 USD millionKershaw County989.1Cherokee County: 968.5 USD millionCherokee County968.5Newberry County: 786.2 USD millionNewberry County786.2Chesterfield County: 771.9 USD millionChesterfield County771.9Jasper County: 655.7 USD millionJasper County655.7Chester County: 641.9 USD millionChester County641.9Colleton County: 554.7 USD millionColleton County554.7Dillon County: 434.6 USD millionDillon County434.6Fairfield County: 418.6 USD millionFairfield County418.6Union County: 385 USD millionUnion County385Williamsburg County: 359.8 USD millionWilliamsburg County359.8Marlboro County: 345.3 USD millionMarlboro County345.3Marion County: 342.1 USD millionMarion County342.1Clarendon County: 336.2 USD millionClarendon County336.2Edgefield County: 323.8 USD millionEdgefield County323.8Calhoun County: 301.3 USD millionCalhoun County301.3Abbeville County: 293.3 USD millionAbbeville County293.3Hampton County: 253 USD millionHampton County253Barnwell County: 241.4 USD millionBarnwell County241.4Saluda County: 236.4 USD millionSaluda County236.4Lee County: 204.7 USD millionLee County204.7Bamberg County: 181.1 USD millionBamberg County181.1Allendale County: 141.2 USD millionAllendale County141.2McCormick County: 81.9 USD millionMcCormick County81.9Charleston County: 21,083 USD millionCharleston County21,083Greenville County: 20,639.9 USD millionGreenville County20,639.9Richland County: 16,317.9 USD millionRichland County16,317.9Spartanburg County: 9,726.4 USD millionSpartanburg County9,726.4Lexington County: 8,042.3 USD millionLexington County8,042.3Horry County: 7,707.3 USD millionHorry County7,707.3York County: 7,109.2 USD millionYork County7,109.2Berkeley County: 4,882.4 USD millionBerkeley County4,882.4Beaufort County: 4,848.8 USD millionBeaufort County4,848.8Aiken County: 4,424.8 USD millionAiken County4,424.8Florence County: 4,238.5 USD millionFlorence County4,238.5Anderson County: 4,014.2 USD millionAnderson County4,014.2Sumter County: 2,569.7 USD millionSumter County2,569.7Dorchester County: 2,343 USD millionDorchester County2,343Pickens County: 2,276.9 USD millionPickens County2,276.9Lancaster County: 1,986.8 USD millionLancaster County1,986.8Greenwood County: 1,598.9 USD millionGreenwood County1,598.9Oconee County: 1,590.8 USD millionOconee County1,590.8Orangeburg County: 1,492.1 USD millionOrangeburg County1,492.1Georgetown County: 1,439.6 USD millionGeorgetown County1,439.6Darlington County: 1,301 USD millionDarlington County1,301Laurens County: 1,140.1 USD millionLaurens County1,140.1Kershaw County: 989.1 USD millionKershaw County989.1Cherokee County: 968.5 USD millionCherokee County968.5Newberry County: 786.2 USD millionNewberry County786.2Chesterfield County: 771.9 USD millionChesterfield County771.9Jasper County: 655.7 USD millionJasper County655.7Chester County: 641.9 USD millionChester County641.9Colleton County: 554.7 USD millionColleton County554.7Dillon County: 434.6 USD millionDillon County434.6Fairfield County: 418.6 USD millionFairfield County418.6Union County: 385 USD millionUnion County385Williamsburg County: 359.8 USD millionWilliamsburg County359.8Marlboro County: 345.3 USD millionMarlboro County345.3Marion County: 342.1 USD millionMarion County342.1Clarendon County: 336.2 USD millionClarendon County336.2Edgefield County: 323.8 USD millionEdgefield County323.8Calhoun County: 301.3 USD millionCalhoun County301.3Abbeville County: 293.3 USD millionAbbeville County293.3Hampton County: 253 USD millionHampton County253Barnwell County: 241.4 USD millionBarnwell County241.4Saluda County: 236.4 USD millionSaluda County236.4Lee County: 204.7 USD millionLee County204.7Bamberg County: 181.1 USD millionBamberg County181.1Allendale County: 141.2 USD millionAllendale County141.2McCormick County: 81.9 USD millionMcCormick County81.9
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

RankCounties2023
USD million
Change on 2022
1Charleston County21,083+6.9%
2Greenville County20,639.9+6.3%
3Richland County16,317.9+7.5%
4Spartanburg County9,726.4+5.4%
5Lexington County8,042.3+7.7%
6Horry County7,707.3+8.4%
7York County7,109.2+3.4%
8Berkeley County4,882.4+15.2%
9Beaufort County4,848.8+5.1%
10Aiken County4,424.8+9.6%
11Florence County4,238.5+5.6%
12Anderson County4,014.2+5.3%
13Sumter County2,569.7+3.8%
14Dorchester County2,343+10.2%
15Pickens County2,276.9+9.6%
16Lancaster County1,986.8+4.3%
17Greenwood County1,598.9+5%
18Oconee County1,590.8+8%
19Orangeburg County1,492.1+2.7%
20Georgetown County1,439.6+5.2%
21Darlington County1,301+1.2%
22Laurens County1,140.1+2.7%
23Kershaw County989.1+6.5%
24Cherokee County968.5+0.4%
25Newberry County786.2+1.2%
26Chesterfield County771.9+3.8%
27Jasper County655.7+12.8%
28Chester County641.9+11.8%
29Colleton County554.7+9%
30Dillon County434.6+7.2%
31Fairfield County418.6+10.7%
32Union County385+3.1%
33Williamsburg County359.8-1.4%
34Marlboro County345.3-2.3%
35Marion County342.1+6.7%
36Clarendon County336.2+8.3%
37Edgefield County323.8+2.8%
38Calhoun County301.3+8.6%
39Abbeville County293.3+2.8%
40Hampton County253+5.1%
41Barnwell County241.4+6%
42Saluda County236.4+6.9%
43Lee County204.7+9.8%
44Bamberg County181.1+7.7%
45Allendale County141.2+2.5%
46McCormick County81.9-2.7%

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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_carolina_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-carolina-counties?period=2023.
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?

Charleston County, with $21.08 billion in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

McCormick County, with $81.91 million in 2023.

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