Employment increased in all of South Carolina’s seven largest counties from September 2021 to September 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2021.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that Charleston County and Horry County had the largest over-the-year increases in employment at 6.1 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 4.3 percent over the year, with 346 of the 355 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Orleans, LA, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 10.7 percent. Deschutes, OR, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 0.4 percent.

Among the seven largest counties in South Carolina, employment was highest in Greenville County (289,000) in September 2022. Together, the seven largest South Carolina counties accounted for 59.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 72.8 percent of total U.S. employment.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 39 counties in South Carolina with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all 39 smaller counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All seven large South Carolina counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2022. (See chart 2.) Charleston County had the largest gain (+10.7 percent) followed by York County (+10.2 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among South Carolina’s other five large counties ranged from 9.4 percent to 7.3 percent.

Among the 355 largest counties in the United States, 345 had over-the-year wage increases. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage wage increase (+13.9 percent). San Mateo, CA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-19.6 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in all seven of South Carolina’s largest counties were below the national average of $1,334 in the third quarter of 2022. Average weekly wages in South Carolina’s large counties ranged from $1,232 in Charleston County to $871 in Horry County.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 91 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2022. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,061. Average weekly wages were at or below the national average in the remaining 264 counties. At $812 a week, Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage.

Average weekly wages in South Carolina’s smaller counties

All 39 smaller counties in South Carolina—those with employment below 75,000—had average weekly wages below the national average of $1,334. Among these smaller counties, Lancaster had the highest average weekly wage at $1,139. McCormick County ($754) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 46 counties in South Carolina were considered, 6 reported average weekly wages of less than $800, 9 had wages from $800 to $899, 17 had average weekly wages from $900 to $999, 7 had wages from $1,000 to $1,099, and 7 had average weekly wages of $1,100 or higher. (See chart 3.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit www.bls.gov/cew.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. This publication is typically published in September of the following year of the reference period or shortly after the QCEW first quarter full data update. The Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online is available at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/.

The County Employment and Wages release for fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/cew. However, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons–some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS web site. These potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.

For more information see the Technical Note for the County Employment and Wages News Release.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the seven largest counties in South Carolina, third quarter 2022

Area	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		September 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Third quarter 2022	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2021–22 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	11,608.9	151,239.6	4.3	--	$1,334	--	6.7	--
South Carolina	166.6	2,200.9	4.7	--	1,079	44	9.4	6
Charleston	19.9	269.8	6.1	27	1,232	159	10.7	25
Greenville	18.2	289.0	4.6	80	1,126	234	9.3	80
Horry	11.1	140.5	5.8	36	871	352	8.1	143
Lexington	8.1	125.9	2.1	281	1,003	331	8.1	143
Richland	11.7	224.0	3.4	158	1,116	247	7.3	189
Spartanburg	7.5	151.5	3.4	158	1,064	298	9.4	74
York	7.8	103.0	2.5	252	1,106	254	10.2	43
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in South Carolina, third quarter 2022

Area	Establishments	Employment September 2022	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,608,876	151,239,638	$1,334
South Carolina	166,562	2,200,900	1,079
Abbeville	405	5,406	917
Aiken	3,412	61,950	1,131
Allendale	176	2,391	957
Anderson	4,169	70,328	926
Bamberg	317	3,549	774
Barnwell	417	4,955	792
Beaufort	7,108	69,797	968
Berkeley	4,396	59,591	1,136
Calhoun	268	4,541	1,079
Charleston	19,911	269,792	1,232
Cherokee	927	20,362	833
Chester	594	9,888	1,006
Chesterfield	746	14,476	896
Clarendon	612	6,717	760
Colleton	821	10,032	852
Darlington	1,177	21,019	1,012
Dillon	503	9,519	770
Dorchester	3,004	37,994	958
Edgefield	399	6,133	954
Fairfield	393	5,579	1,099
Florence	3,512	66,894	976
Georgetown	2,230	25,663	909
Greenville	18,206	288,958	1,126
Greenwood	1,496	27,659	939
Hampton	386	4,613	996
Horry	11,149	140,463	871
Jasper	833	10,170	997
Kershaw	1,443	18,225	869
Lancaster	1,907	27,008	1,139
Laurens	964	20,805	929
Lee	299	3,672	863
Lexington	8,083	125,865	1,003
McCormick	247	2,047	754
Marion	477	6,869	787
Marlboro	340	6,075	910
Newberry	874	15,507	876
Oconee	1,895	24,515	1,026
Orangeburg	1,741	28,214	898
Pickens	2,694	37,907	957
Richland	11,729	224,030	1,116
Saluda	285	4,854	822
Spartanburg	7,504	151,548	1,064
Sumter	2,211	36,425	946
Union	472	7,237	908
Williamsburg	616	7,670	946
York	7,824	103,032	1,106
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, third quarter 2022

State	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		September 2022 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2021–22	Third quarter 2022	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2021–22	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	11,608.9	151,239.6	4.3	$1,334	--	6.7	--
Alabama	150.1	2,031.6	3.2	1,120	35	9.1	9
Alaska	24.9	325.2	2.5	1,304	15	8.2	29
Arizona	205.4	3,080.6	3.9	1,251	20	7.7	36
Arkansas	100.1	1,262.1	4.4	1,036	50	7.5	38
California	1,741.3	18,051.1	4.9	1,601	5	1.5	50
Colorado	247.1	2,813.9	3.3	1,432	8	8.5	22
Connecticut	140.6	1,652.8	2.8	1,491	6	6.5	42
Delaware	39.7	465.7	5.1	1,292	18	8.4	25
District of Columbia	49.0	756.6	2.7	2,134	1	4.5	48
Florida	860.6	9,417.2	5.6	1,220	23	9.0	11
Georgia	378.4	4,726.4	5.1	1,255	19	8.5	22
Hawaii	52.8	623.2	4.5	1,208	24	5.1	46
Idaho	86.7	834.7	3.8	1,063	45	11.5	1
Illinois	410.9	5,982.2	3.9	1,361	12	6.9	40
Indiana	188.3	3,140.6	3.9	1,123	34	8.6	19
Iowa	111.1	1,541.1	1.9	1,118	36	10.1	3
Kansas	95.6	1,401.3	3.7	1,085	41	8.8	15
Kentucky	142.9	1,941.5	3.8	1,082	43	9.4	6
Louisiana	150.7	1,866.3	4.5	1,103	39	8.2	29
Maine	62.2	637.7	2.5	1,117	37	8.4	25
Maryland	188.3	2,669.1	2.5	1,418	9	7.9	32
Massachusetts	292.6	3,628.8	3.6	1,651	3	3.6	49
Michigan	296.0	4,334.0	3.5	1,236	21	7.2	39
Minnesota	201.6	2,880.9	3.4	1,346	13	7.9	32
Mississippi	81.5	1,151.8	2.4	933	51	8.7	17
Missouri	236.9	2,849.2	3.2	1,149	31	8.9	14
Montana	61.2	505.5	3.9	1,059	46	10.0	4
Nebraska	80.5	989.2	2.4	1,117	37	9.9	5
Nevada	107.0	1,496.1	7.5	1,205	26	6.2	43
New Hampshire	63.8	677.3	3.4	1,365	11	1.2	51
New Jersey	320.9	4,176.5	5.0	1,461	7	5.6	44
New Mexico	70.9	838.1	3.5	1,087	40	9.1	9
New York	683.2	9,355.0	4.8	1,608	4	4.8	47
North Carolina	348.9	4,737.5	4.9	1,207	25	8.5	22
North Dakota	34.5	419.8	2.9	1,190	28	10.7	2
Ohio	328.9	5,402.7	2.9	1,187	29	8.1	31
Oklahoma	123.9	1,646.6	3.8	1,047	48	8.6	19
Oregon	179.5	1,932.6	1.1	1,301	16	6.6	41
Pennsylvania	390.7	5,913.7	3.8	1,296	17	7.6	37
Rhode Island	46.5	487.3	3.1	1,225	22	8.3	27
South Carolina	166.6	2,200.9	4.7	1,079	44	9.4	6
South Dakota	39.1	448.5	2.9	1,052	47	9.0	11
Tennessee	204.0	3,202.4	5.1	1,198	27	7.9	32
Texas	805.5	13,371.1	5.9	1,333	14	8.6	19
Utah	134.1	1,663.9	4.4	1,186	30	9.0	11
Vermont	30.8	300.6	2.4	1,142	32	7.9	32
Virginia	330.1	3,979.4	3.4	1,380	10	9.3	8
Washington	235.3	3,572.9	4.4	1,657	2	5.2	45
West Virginia	56.8	678.8	1.9	1,042	49	8.3	27
Wisconsin	200.7	2,899.1	2.8	1,140	33	8.7	17
Wyoming	29.9	278.2	2.3	1,083	42	8.8	15
Puerto Rico	50.0	924.6	3.9	616	(3)	8.5	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.7	34.3	-1.0	1,030	(3)	9.2	(3)
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.