QCEW Data for Second Quarter of 2022 Released

Wed, 12/07/2022

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Data for Second Quarter of 2022 Released

Number of jobs across the state are up 88,019 from last year

Columbia, S.C. – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) for the second quarter of 2022, which provides data on firms, payroll, and wages at the county level as well as for detailed industry categories. This information is released quarterly five to six months after the end of the period in question and is derived from data in the State Unemployment Insurance Tax System (SUITS) housed at the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW).

Overall, there were 2,173,198 jobs statewide in Quarter 2 of 2022, up notably from last year’s figure of 2,085,179 in Quarter 2 of 2021. Average weekly wage for all workers increased by 6.9 percent, from $977 to $1,044. The number of establishments statewide rose by over 8 percent over the year, from 150,275 to 162,669.

While this represents a complete count of payroll for entities that pay unemployment insurance taxes to the state, there are several types of workers that may not show up in QCEW data, including individuals who are self-employed, contract workers (i.e., “gig economy” workers or people receiving a 1099 form), federal employees, or those employed in other exempt industries.

This data set essentially serves as a second draft of previously announced payroll figures, with monthly Current Employment Statistics (CES) data providing a timelier but more approximate result. QCEW is wholly distinct from both CES, an employer survey, and the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) data derived from a household survey and other sources.

Among the 20 economic sectors reported, 17 saw jobs increase and three saw jobs decrease since the same period a year ago. The strongest sectors for growth were Accommodation and Food Services (+17,291) and Manufacturing (+12,787). On the flip side, the weakest was Administrative and Waste Services (-2,658). Every sector aside from Information (-$11) experienced a wage increase and all sectors saw the total number of businesses increase.

Among the state’s 46 counties, 38 have more jobs than they did a year ago, seven have fewer, and one has no change. The counties with the largest increases in employment over the year were Greenville (+12,823), and Charleston (+12,344), while the largest decline was seen in Marlboro (-176). Every county but Fairfield (-$45) experienced wage increases and 39 saw the total number of businesses increase.

“These new figures confirm that the economic recovery has been robust and widespread across the state into the middle of the year,” said Dr. Bryan Grady, Labor Market Information (LMI) Director at the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

“It is a great sign of growth and prosperity that jobs continue to rise in South Carolina,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey. “As the state’s workforce agency, it is our job to help others find jobs. We work with employers to help hire or upskill staff as well as individuals seeking employment and other career services. As we reflect on the QCEW data for the second quarter of 2022, we hope to end the last quarter of the year with even more individuals employed.”

For more information, interested parties can review the attached tables and contact communications@dew.sc.gov with any press inquiries or interview requests for the LMI Division. The full data set is available at https://jobs.scworks.org/qcew. For questions about these data and more, feel free to email lmicustomerservice@dew.sc.gov. DEW will release its monthly Employment Situation on Friday, December 16, detailing November workforce data.

Establishments, Employment, and Average Weekly Wage (AWW) by Industry
Economic Sector	2nd Quarter 2022			2nd Quarter 2021
Economic Sector	Firms	Jobs	AWW	Firms	Jobs	AWW
Total, All Industries	162,669	2,173,198	$1,044	150,275	2,085,179	$977
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	1,308	10,429	$840	1,262	10,502	$787
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	166	2,031	$1,599	153	1,956	$1,421
Utilities	630	15,912	$1,654	599	15,772	$1,602
Construction	13,758	108,798	$1,200	13,348	104,719	$1,117
Manufacturing	7,614	260,360	$1,293	6,969	247,573	$1,216
Wholesale Trade	9,449	79,489	$1,554	9,032	73,845	$1,452
Retail Trade	19,040	259,371	$673	18,672	251,872	$648
Transportation and Warehousing	4,807	88,923	$1,017	4,368	83,989	$946
Information	4,753	31,222	$1,521	3,771	29,119	$1,532
Finance and Insurance	9,875	78,592	$1,530	9,005	73,422	$1,482
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	7,655	33,597	$1,128	6,955	31,747	$1,012
Professional and Technical Services	25,808	118,237	$1,631	22,094	106,573	$1,499
Management of Companies and Enterprises	1,392	24,710	$1,855	1,154	23,889	$1,766
Administrative and Waste Services	10,064	161,971	$842	9,319	164,629	$759
Educational Services	3,339	171,204	$1,003	3,097	166,619	$971
Health Care and Social Assistance	15,372	284,131	$1,156	14,483	280,226	$1,067
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	2,423	37,060	$489	2,290	33,067	$436
Accommodation and Food Services	12,025	235,468	$457	11,533	218,177	$423
Other Services, Except Public Administration	10,880	55,985	$827	10,344	51,586	$765
Public Administration	1,883	115,000	$1,059	1,827	115,896	$983

Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Establishments, Employment, and Average Weekly Wage (AWW) by County
County	2nd Quarter 2022			2nd Quarter 2021
County	Firms	Jobs	AWW*	Firms	Jobs	AWW*
Abbeville	400	5,443	$860	363	5,332	$805
Aiken	3,359	61,336	$1,085	3,247	59,386	$1,039
Allendale	174	2,333	$974	173	2,447	$869
Anderson	4,108	69,793	$909	3,909	65,708	$858
Bamberg	306	3,506	$769	298	3,394	$707
Barnwell	411	4,909	$765	389	4,660	$712
Beaufort	7,007	69,491	$961	6,599	67,355	$898
Berkeley	4,287	58,273	$1,125	3,739	56,040	$1,118
Calhoun	271	4,564	$1,038	262	4,601	$970
Charleston	19,515	263,677	$1,179	18,308	251,333	$1,113
Cherokee	918	20,171	$788	902	20,090	$739
Chester	585	9,767	$965	592	9,450	$899
Chesterfield	740	14,637	$831	727	14,484	$792
Clarendon	618	6,585	$718	621	6,646	$690
Colleton	811	9,852	$806	786	9,931	$764
Darlington	1,174	20,905	$1,028	1,143	19,803	$935
Dillon	502	9,443	$730	501	9,272	$702
Dorchester	2,941	37,282	$929	2,847	35,198	$855
Edgefield	383	5,823	$904	367	5,117	$852
Fairfield	380	5,678	$1,045	377	5,314	$1,090
Florence	3,494	66,130	$902	3,446	64,308	$864
Georgetown	2,174	25,520	$886	2,044	24,419	$841
Greenville	17,906	283,716	$1,105	16,673	270,893	$1,024
Greenwood	1,492	27,264	$938	1,471	27,017	$888
Hampton	388	4,509	$894	392	4,478	$822
Horry	10,960	139,100	$806	10,362	132,124	$767
County	2nd Quarter 2022			2nd Quarter 2021
County	Firms	Jobs	AWW*	Firms	Jobs	AWW*
Jasper	822	10,163	$913	784	9,722	$842
Kershaw	1,431	17,719	$846	1,348	17,164	$774
Lancaster	1,856	27,149	$1,128	1,722	26,183	$1,025
Laurens	957	20,786	$890	915	20,694	$831
Lee	303	3,663	$816	305	3,703	$761
Lexington	7,977	126,597	$962	7,609	121,518	$904
Marion	469	6,836	$772	499	6,862	$709
Marlboro	324	6,171	$884	343	6,347	$842
McCormick	241	1,909	$771	187	1,633	$696
Newberry	875	15,422	$850	842	14,979	$777
Oconee	1,858	24,128	$1,009	1,799	23,579	$930
Orangeburg	1,725	27,851	$857	1,724	26,990	$823
Pickens	2,657	36,866	$900	2,478	35,417	$867
Richland	11,630	220,341	$1,084	11,117	215,658	$1,006
Saluda	286	4,863	$776	285	4,849	$708
Spartanburg	7,386	149,132	$1,066	7,029	147,164	$994
Sumter	2,198	36,301	$901	2,144	36,106	$830
Union	475	7,478	$827	449	7,460	$801
Williamsburg	617	7,891	$901	624	7,891	$889
York	7,671	102,250	$1,061	7,116	99,653	$1,010

Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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