Employment increased in all of South Carolina’s seven largest counties from September 2020 to September 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2020.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Horry County and Charleston County had the largest over-the-year increases in employment at 5.1 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

National employment increased 4.4 percent over the year, with 332 of the 343 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Honolulu, HI, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment with a gain of 13.3 percent. Jefferson, LA, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 3.2 percent.

Among the seven largest counties in South Carolina, employment was highest in Greenville County (270,000) in September 2021. Within Greenville County’s private industry, administrative and waste services accounted for the largest employment. Together, the seven largest South Carolina counties accounted for 59.2 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 343 largest counties made up 72.3 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 $1,251 in the third quarter of 2021. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

All seven large South Carolina counties reported average weekly wage gains from the third quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of 2021. (See chart 2.) Horry County had the largest gain (+11.2 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among South Carolina’s other six large counties ranged from 6.7 percent to 4.6 percent.

Among the 343 largest counties in the United States, 333 had over-the-year wage increases. San Mateo, CA, had the largest percentage wage increase (+27.2 percent). Union, NJ, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease (-1.2 percent).

Large county average weekly wages

Average weekly wages in all seven of South Carolina’s largest counties were below the national average of $1,251 in the third quarter of 2021. Average weekly wages in South Carolina’s large counties ranged from $1,114 in Charleston County to $804 in Horry County.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 85 reported average weekly wages above the U.S. average in the third quarter of 2021. San Mateo, CA, had the highest average weekly wage at $3,710. Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 258 counties. At $756 a week, Cameron, 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 $1,251. Among these smaller counties, Fairfield had the highest average weekly wage at $1,104. McCormick County ($690) reported the lowest average weekly wage in the state.

When all 46 counties in South Carolina were considered, 12 reported average weekly wages of less than $800, 19 had wages from $800 to $899, 7 had average weekly wages from $900 to $999, and 8 had wages of $1,000 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 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The County Employment and Wages full data update for fourth quarter 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 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.

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 2021

Area	Establishments, third quarter 2021 (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
		September 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Third quarter 2021	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2020–21 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	11,021.4	144,863.9	4.4	--	$1,251	--	6.7	--
South Carolina	152.9	2,086.0	2.8	--	988	44	6.9	16
Charleston	18.6	250.6	4.3	107	1,114	177	6.4	120
Greenville	16.9	270.0	1.8	278	1,032	248	6.7	97
Horry	10.5	131.6	5.1	64	804	340	11.2	8
Lexington	7.7	120.5	0.9	316	935	320	5.9	146
Richland	11.2	215.9	2.4	234	1,034	245	5.7	164
Spartanburg	7.1	146.4	0.2	327	977	295	4.6	229
York	7.3	99.7	2.6	222	1,003	269	5.9	146
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 2021

Area	Establishments	Employment September 2021	Average weekly wage (1)
United States (2)	11,021,414	144,863,915	$1,251
South Carolina	152,920	2,086,007	988
Abbeville	372	5,317	835
Aiken	3,266	59,575	1,060
Allendale	173	2,441	893
Anderson	3,943	67,011	885
Bamberg	295	3,451	739
Barnwell	392	4,676	707
Beaufort	6,671	66,366	882
Berkeley	3,817	55,760	1,076
Calhoun	264	4,649	914
Charleston	18,564	250,604	1,114
Cherokee	905	20,041	775
Chester	590	9,540	907
Chesterfield	722	14,504	842
Clarendon	620	6,504	727
Colleton	798	10,010	764
Darlington	1,151	19,786	937
Dillon	498	9,194	691
Dorchester	2,893	34,654	875
Edgefield	373	5,312	875
Fairfield	377	5,379	1,104
Florence	3,457	64,505	881
Georgetown	2,059	24,406	863
Greenville	16,920	269,980	1,032
Greenwood	1,472	26,895	872
Hampton	384	4,527	762
Horry	10,475	131,626	804
Jasper	804	9,789	867
Kershaw	1,386	17,756	792
Lancaster	1,756	25,313	1,029
Laurens	925	20,755	845
Lee	311	3,701	796
Lexington	7,703	120,533	935
McCormick	188	1,614	690
Marion	495	6,805	760
Marlboro	341	6,348	855
Newberry	847	14,877	815
Oconee	1,817	23,463	905
Orangeburg	1,724	27,622	839
Pickens	2,536	36,554	928
Richland	11,228	215,947	1,034
Saluda	287	4,828	772
Spartanburg	7,089	146,414	977
Sumter	2,153	35,455	862
Union	459	7,480	829
Williamsburg	626	7,799	861
York	7,254	99,690	1,003
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 2021

State	Establishments, third quarter 2021 (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
		September 2021 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2020–21	Third quarter 2021	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2020–21	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	11,021.4	144,863.9	4.4	$1,251	--	6.7	--
Alabama	139.8	1,955.3	2.6	1,030	36	5.3	37
Alaska	24.0	316.9	4.6	1,205	16	3.4	50
Arizona	184.5	2,926.3	4.6	1,167	19	7.0	13
Arkansas	97.4	1,212.9	2.9	963	47	7.8	6
California	1,679.6	17,208.7	6.6	1,576	4	7.7	8
Colorado	231.8	2,723.4	4.8	1,322	9	7.0	13
Connecticut	132.0	1,605.1	2.9	1,401	6	5.7	31
Delaware	35.9	439.7	2.1	1,198	18	4.4	45
District of Columbia	45.4	736.1	3.1	2,042	1	4.1	46
Florida	808.4	8,910.9	7.0	1,120	25	8.7	3
Georgia	343.9	4,491.4	4.9	1,158	20	6.8	17
Hawaii	49.2	592.8	16.6	1,150	22	3.3	51
Idaho	79.2	804.0	5.3	953	50	7.8	6
Illinois	398.4	5,751.2	3.3	1,274	11	6.3	22
Indiana	178.9	3,020.6	2.6	1,032	34	7.4	10
Iowa	106.8	1,509.6	2.2	1,015	39	4.9	43
Kansas	92.1	1,349.3	1.7	997	40	4.7	44
Kentucky	134.3	1,869.0	3.4	989	43	5.8	28
Louisiana	144.2	1,772.7	1.7	1,021	37	5.4	36
Maine	58.5	619.9	3.6	1,031	35	6.7	18
Maryland	178.1	2,604.6	3.9	1,314	10	3.5	49
Massachusetts	281.4	3,501.0	5.5	1,593	2	7.0	13
Michigan	271.3	4,181.4	3.6	1,154	21	5.3	37
Minnesota	186.9	2,780.5	2.7	1,249	13	6.1	24
Mississippi	77.3	1,122.2	2.6	859	51	6.3	22
Missouri	223.9	2,760.3	2.9	1,055	31	6.0	26
Montana	57.0	487.5	4.4	963	47	6.5	21
Nebraska	75.6	964.6	1.4	1,017	38	5.5	35
Nevada	96.0	1,389.5	10.8	1,135	23	8.3	5
New Hampshire	60.0	654.6	3.3	1,349	8	15.0	1
New Jersey	304.1	3,977.2	5.1	1,384	7	4.1	46
New Mexico	64.8	806.2	4.2	997	40	5.6	32
New York	671.2	8,922.4	4.4	1,534	5	6.1	24
North Carolina	318.4	4,516.4	4.5	1,112	26	7.1	11
North Dakota	33.0	407.2	2.2	1,076	30	5.1	40
Ohio	315.7	5,248.0	2.2	1,098	28	5.6	32
Oklahoma	116.4	1,576.6	1.8	966	45	5.6	32
Oregon	171.2	1,909.5	3.7	1,220	15	9.6	2
Pennsylvania	375.4	5,685.4	3.2	1,205	16	5.8	28
Rhode Island	43.2	474.1	4.8	1,131	24	3.6	48
South Carolina	152.9	2,086.0	2.8	988	44	6.9	16
South Dakota	37.0	435.6	3.1	965	46	5.1	40
Tennessee	187.7	3,044.1	4.2	1,111	27	8.7	3
Texas	770.0	12,613.1	5.6	1,227	14	6.7	18
Utah	123.1	1,594.7	5.0	1,087	29	7.1	11
Vermont	28.1	293.5	2.7	1,055	31	5.8	28
Virginia	299.2	3,845.3	2.9	1,264	12	5.3	37
Washington	266.6	3,415.2	4.4	1,578	3	6.6	20
West Virginia	53.6	664.2	2.7	960	49	5.0	42
Wisconsin	189.5	2,815.9	2.3	1,049	33	7.5	9
Wyoming	28.7	271.1	2.5	995	42	6.0	26
Puerto Rico	47.9	887.9	6.5	568	(3)	4.0	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.6	34.5	1.9	956	(3)	-5.4	(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.