South Carolina’s Coastal Metropolitan Areas Rank Highly for Employment Growth
By Lainey Stalnaker, Data Analytics Writer
Two of South Carolina’s coastal metropolitan areas recently recorded very strong employment growth.[1] The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metropolitan area tied for the 25th fastest year-over-year increase in the country. From February 2025 through February 2026, employment in the area grew by 1.8 percent, or 1,600 people. Also high on the list, the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach metropolitan area recorded employment growth of 1.7 percent, tying for 27th in the country.
The figure below shows year-over-year employment growth rates in the United States and in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal and Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach metro areas. In the United States as a whole, the rate has slowed over the last year and fell to 0.0 percent in February of 2026, meaning total payroll employment was flat from February 2025 to February 2026. In comparison, these two South Carolina metro areas outperformed the national average with their consistent positive growth.
