Counties With the Highest Unemployment in South Carolina

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Counties with the highest unemployment in South Carolina

Despite a relatively low unemployment rate, the fear of job losses remains amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in South Carolina using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in May 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Economists forecast a waning risk of recession and predict that the U.S. may instead be headed for an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing." Still, layoffs among major U.S. employers like Amazon to Tesla have sparked concern among Americans. What's more, unemployment has spiked in nearly half the country's states, which often indicates a looming recession, a chief global economist at Piper Sandler told Business Insider. And with sky-high prices after a period of record inflation, savings and unemployment payments may not cover basic expenses for jobless Americans for long.

For comparison, the Great Recession of 2007-09 sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

Still, as of June 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.1%, with little change from the previous month. Regional and state employment range widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state vary, ranging from just 2% in the Dakotas to 5.3% in Washington D.C.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in South Carolina.

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#46. Charleston County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 234,023 people (6,745 unemployed)

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#45. Lexington County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 159,282 people (4,890 unemployed)

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#44. Dorchester County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 86,484 people (2,778 unemployed)

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#43. Hampton County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,466 people (280 unemployed)

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#42. Saluda County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,993 people (300 unemployed)

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#41. Jasper County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,324 people (476 unemployed)

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#40. Oconee County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,834 people (1,196 unemployed)

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#39. Berkeley County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 119,110 people (3,900 unemployed)

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#38. Greenville County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 271,214 people (9,031 unemployed)

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#37. Beaufort County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 82,447 people (2,770 unemployed)

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#36. York County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 154,321 people (5,315 unemployed)

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#35. Anderson County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 95,443 people (3,342 unemployed)

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#34. Spartanburg County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 161,941 people (5,732 unemployed)

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#33. McCormick County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,497 people (125 unemployed)

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#32. Colleton County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,980 people (615 unemployed)

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#31. Newberry County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,080 people (695 unemployed)

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#30. Kershaw County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,942 people (1,109 unemployed)

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#29. Florence County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 69,702 people (2,495 unemployed)

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#28. Georgetown County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,553 people (1,021 unemployed)

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#27. Lancaster County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 45,351 people (1,684 unemployed)

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#26. Aiken County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 74,627 people (2,789 unemployed)

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#25. Edgefield County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,536 people (398 unemployed)

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#24. Chesterfield County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,558 people (815 unemployed)

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#23. Laurens County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,446 people (1,199 unemployed)

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#22. Horry County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 163,805 people (6,280 unemployed)

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#21. Richland County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 207,528 people (7,993 unemployed)

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#20. Darlington County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,486 people (1,256 unemployed)

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#19. Pickens County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 60,791 people (2,443 unemployed)

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#18. Calhoun County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,794 people (278 unemployed)

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#17. Abbeville County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,606 people (416 unemployed)

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#16. Union County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,673 people (500 unemployed)

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#15. Greenwood County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,198 people (1,302 unemployed)

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#14. Fairfield County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,662 people (429 unemployed)

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#13. Clarendon County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,618 people (561 unemployed)

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#12. Sumter County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 42,361 people (1,941 unemployed)

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#11. Chester County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,932 people (666 unemployed)

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#10. Lee County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,751 people (335 unemployed)

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#9. Marion County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,977 people (653 unemployed)

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#8. Cherokee County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,733 people (1,129 unemployed)

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#7. Dillon County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,211 people (672 unemployed)

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#6. Williamsburg County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,593 people (584 unemployed)

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#5. Barnwell County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,490 people (418 unemployed)

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#4. Orangeburg County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,661 people (1,873 unemployed)

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#3. Marlboro County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,459 people (491 unemployed)

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#2. Allendale County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,440 people (163 unemployed)

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#1. Bamberg County

- May unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,752 people (331 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.