Charleston Tops the Latest Metro Area Employment Statistics for Growth
By Taylor Hendrix, Workforce Insights Analyst
What is the Current Employment Statistics Program?
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program produces detailed industry estimates of employment, hours, and earnings of workers for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and about 450 metropolitan areas and divisions. Each month, the CES surveys approximately 122,000 businesses and government agencies, representing 666,000 individual worksites.[i] Let’s look at the latest numbers for October 2023.
Current Data
Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina, which includes Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, had the largest percentage gain in nonfarm[ii] employment from October 2022 to October 2023. Employment in 2022 was at 402,300 and rose to 426,800 in 2023, reflecting a total change of 24,500, or 6.1 percent. Midland, Texas, followed with a 5.1 percent change over the year, then Boise City, Idaho, with a 4.5 percent change, and Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Salinas, California, both with a 4.4 percent change rounding out the top five metro areas.
Although Charleston was the only South Carolina location to appear in the top 10, every metropolitan area in the state exhibited growth year-over-year, suggesting a strong economy and a motivated labor force.
For more information on these data, the two tables below depict the top 10 metro areas nationwide for growth and the South Carolina metro areas, specifically, for the latest CES data.
|
Metro Area |
October 2022 Employment |
October 2023 Employment |
Employment Change |
Percent Change |
|
Charleston-North Charleston, SC |
402,300 |
426,800 |
24,500 |
6.1% |
|
Midland, TX |
115,800 |
121,700 |
5,900 |
5.1% |
|
Boise City, ID |
386,900 |
404,400 |
17,500 |
4.5% |
|
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
340,100 |
355,100 |
15,000 |
4.4% |
|
Salinas, CA |
145,600 |
152,000 |
6,400 |
4.4% |
|
Idaho Falls, ID |
79,500 |
82,900 |
3,400 |
4.3% |
|
Jacksonville, FL |
786,000 |
817,200 |
31,200 |
4.0% |
|
Dover, DE |
71,300 |
74,000 |
2,700 |
3.8% |
|
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX |
293,400 |
304,500 |
11,100 |
3.8% |
|
Knoxville, TN |
434,600 |
450,600 |
16,000 |
3.7% |
|
South Carolina Metro Area |
October 2022 Employment |
October 2023 Employment |
Employment Change |
Percent Change |
|
Charleston-North Charleston |
402,300 |
426,800 |
24,500 |
6.1% |
|
Columbia |
417,000 |
422,200 |
5,200 |
1.2% |
|
Florence |
94,400 |
97,000 |
2,600 |
2.8% |
|
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin |
456,700 |
462,000 |
5,300 |
1.2% |
|
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort |
86,100 |
87,700 |
1,600 |
1.9% |
|
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach |
186,900 |
192,400 |
5,500 |
2.9% |
|
Spartanburg |
169,200 |
173,200 |
4,000 |
2.4% |
|
Sumter |
39,200 |
39,700 |
500 |
1.3% |
[i] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, TED: The Economics Daily, Employment in Charleston metro area up 6.1 percent for the year ended in October 2023, https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/employment-in-charleston-metro-area-up-6-1-percent-for-year-ended-in-october-2023.htm
[ii] Nonfarm employment comprises goods, construction, and manufacturing companies.