State Ledger
State profile

South Carolina FIPS 45

Population
5,078,903
Median household income
$58,234
Nonfarm employment
2,432,200
Business establishments
122,958

Every figure above traces to a primary source · view data sources & methodology

State Highlights

Largest employer sector
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
303,812 employees
Business concentration
14.7%
of private employment in Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
Home prices, 1 year
+3.8%
FHFA
Federal outlays per capita
$21,869.62
USASpending.gov

Economy & Labor

Total nonfarm employment

BLS Current Employment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted · persons · 20 months available · latest observation: August 2026
Employment ratio
48.4%
employed ÷ population
Unemployed population (ACS)
130,624
Vs. July
▲ 5,100
Business density
24.5 per 1,000
establishments per capita

Leading Industries

Leading industries by employment

Ranked by private-sector employment, same measure as the Business & Industry tab · see the full breakdown there
1 Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 303,812 employees
2 Retail trade 269,094 employees
3 Health care and social assistance 267,286 employees
4 Manufacturing 257,989 employees
5 Accommodation and food services 245,905 employees

Leading Public Companies

Top 5 by latest reported revenue

SEC EDGAR / XBRL Company Facts · see the full listing on the Public Companies tab
Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. · SUNB
$11.15B
Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, NEC
SONOCO PRODUCTS CO · SON
$7.52B
Paperboard Containers & Boxes
SCANSOURCE, INC. · SCSC
$3.23B
Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software
Ingevity Corp · NGVT
$1.17B
Chemicals & Allied Products
SHOE STATION GROUP INC · SHOE
$1.14B
Retail-Shoe Stores

Population & People

Homeownership rate
70.3%
1.39M of 1.98M occupied homes are owner-occupied

Population by age

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimate (table B01001) · reconciles to total population
0–17
1.11M · 21.9%
18–24
461.9K · 9.1%
25–34
660.6K · 13.0%
35–44
623.4K · 12.3%
45–54
638.1K · 12.6%
55–64
683.5K · 13.5%
65–74
561.3K · 11.1%
75+
340.2K · 6.7%

Housing & Real Estate

Median home value
$181,800
Median gross rent
$970 / month
Vacancy rate
15.0%
Total housing units
2.33M
Owner-occupied homes
1.39M
Renter-occupied homes
586.4K
Home prices, 1 year
+3.8%
Home prices, 5 years
+54.9%
Latest FHFA period
2026 Q2

ACS: 2021 ACS 5-year · FHFA: 2026 Q2

ACS housing estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau — median home value reflects owner-reported value, not a current sale price. House-price changes are from the FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index, a measure of price appreciation over time, not a home-value estimate.

Federal Spending

Total federal outlays
$109.88B
Outlays per capita
$21,869.62
Total prime award value
$123.05B

Source: USASpending.gov · specific reporting period not published in this dataset