Employment rose in all seven of the largest counties in South Carolina from December 2024 to December 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that Charleston County (+2.4 percent) had the largest over-the-year increase in employment. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in South Carolina, December 2025

County	Percent change, December 2025
Charleston	2.4
Spartanburg	2.1
York	1.7
Greenville	1.6
Horry	1.1
Richland	0.5
Lexington	0.1

Greenville County (306,300) had the highest employment level in South Carolina in December 2025. Together, the seven largest counties accounted for 58.6 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

All seven large South Carolina counties reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Spartanburg had the largest gain (+4.8 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among the other six large South Carolina counties ranged from 4.5 percent to 3.6 percent.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in South Carolina, fourth quarter 2025

County	Percent change, fourth quarter 2025
Spartanburg	4.8
Lexington	4.5
Charleston	4.4
Greenville	4.3
Horry	3.8
York	3.7
Richland	3.6

Weekly wages in all seven large counties in South Carolina were below the national average of $1,569. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,458 in Charleston to $1,019 in Horry.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 39 smaller counties in South Carolina, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all smaller counties were below the national average. Berkeley reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,406). Clarendon reported the lowest average weekly wage ($852) in the state.

Among all 46 South Carolina counties, 11 reported average weekly wages less than $1,000, 9 had wages from $1,000 to $1,074, 10 had wages from $1,075 to $1,149, 6 had wages from $1,150 to $1,224, and 10 had average weekly wages of $1,225 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)