Counties with the highest unemployment in South Carolina

The first jobs report fully under the new Trump administration showed a softening job market, with the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.1% in February, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released March 7.

Job growth increased but fell below expectations, one of several possible fissures appearing in the once rock-solid labor market. Businesses are pulling back on hiring as the economic forecast and policy outlook grow murkier due to volatile trade policies and large cuts to the federal workforce.

Federal government employment fell by 10,000 in February, pushing up total cuts to the federal workforce. In the first two months of 2025, 62,530 federal workers were let go. However, the most recent cuts, including the Department of Education's workforce getting slashed by nearly half, have not yet appeared in official jobs data. Retail employment also fell by 6,000.

The broader unemployment index, known as the U-6, which also includes laborers working part-time because they can't find full-time work, and those who want to work but have given up searching, rose to 8%, its highest since October 2021.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in South Carolina, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in January 2025, 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.

Key takeaways: Jobs report shows softening labor market

February's job growth of 151,000 fell below economists' expected gains of 160,000, showing the labor market is cooling faster than predicted. Experts say many companies weighing policy changes and economic uncertainty are deciding it's safer to hold off on hiring decisions for now.

"If you were a company and you were saying, 'I'm looking to expand, or I'm looking to hire,' you would have investors in those companies saying, 'Are you crazy?'" Ron Hetrick, senior labor economist at Lightcast, told Marketplace.

Consumer spending fell in January for the first time in two years, which may have led to layoffs or hiring slowdowns, Nela Richardson, ADP's chief economist, told NBC News.

The big story: From bold promises to frozen labor market

After an initial market pop following Trump's electoral win, indexes have slumped to below when he took office, and uncertainty about the future of the markets is a common theme. Are threatened tariffs in place, delayed, reversed, or ramped up? Has that federal worker been fired or given their job back? Are those federal dollars slashed or reinstated? It's a question mark that changes daily.

Research shows that uncertainty invites lower investment, slows employment, and increases financial market volatility. The word "uncertain" showed up 47 times in the March edition of the Beige Book, the Federal Reserve's snapshot of reports from across the nation, compared to 17 times in the previous report from January.

The new administration's blitz of executive orders and trade policy waffling have cast a dense fog over the short-term economic outlook. One thing that is known? Uncertainty isn't good for business planning, job creation, or hiring.

In a March 12 interview with Semafor, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon noted that average consumers likely don't change "what they're going to do because they read about tariffs," but "companies might."

"Uncertainty is not a good thing," Dimon added.

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in South Carolina.

46. Charleston County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 232,033 people (8,018 unemployed)

44. Dorchester County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 85,855 people (3,113 unemployed)

44. Lexington County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 155,428 people (5,583 unemployed)

41. Berkeley County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 127,903 people (4,753 unemployed)

41. Saluda County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,560 people (315 unemployed)

41. Greenville County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 284,532 people (10,567 unemployed)

40. Pickens County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 64,584 people (2,482 unemployed)

38. Anderson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 99,589 people (3,849 unemployed)

38. Hampton County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,624 people (294 unemployed)

36. Beaufort County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 83,569 people (3,346 unemployed)

36. Edgefield County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,418 people (461 unemployed)

33. York County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 154,686 people (6,405 unemployed)

33. Oconee County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,722 people (1,464 unemployed)

33. Kershaw County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,118 people (1,331 unemployed)

31. Aiken County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 75,581 people (3,210 unemployed)

31. Jasper County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,830 people (582 unemployed)

30. Spartanburg County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 168,120 people (7,178 unemployed)

25. Florence County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 64,184 people (2,817 unemployed)

25. Abbeville County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,168 people (446 unemployed)

25. Richland County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 208,768 people (9,084 unemployed)

25. Lancaster County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 49,702 people (2,190 unemployed)

25. Newberry County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,225 people (799 unemployed)

24. Calhoun County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,508 people (296 unemployed)

23. Laurens County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,956 people (1,414 unemployed)

21. Chesterfield County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,202 people (862 unemployed)

21. Colleton County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,573 people (735 unemployed)

20. Darlington County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,250 people (1,353 unemployed)

18. Greenwood County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,541 people (1,464 unemployed)

18. McCormick County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,374 people (171 unemployed)

17. Fairfield County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,877 people (513 unemployed)

16. Sumter County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 41,802 people (2,205 unemployed)

14. Union County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,873 people (588 unemployed)

14. Chester County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,252 people (771 unemployed)

13. Horry County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 167,599 people (9,200 unemployed)

11. Barnwell County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,182 people (468 unemployed)

11. Georgetown County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,690 people (1,568 unemployed)

8. Clarendon County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,173 people (652 unemployed)

8. Bamberg County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: -1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,353 people (309 unemployed)

8. Cherokee County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,718 people (1,319 unemployed)

6. Lee County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,852 people (347 unemployed)

6. Dillon County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,168 people (719 unemployed)

4. Allendale County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,570 people (154 unemployed)

4. Orangeburg County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,864 people (2,107 unemployed)

3. Marion County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,644 people (705 unemployed)

2. Marlboro County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,069 people (569 unemployed)

1. Williamsburg County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,141 people (750 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.