Prime-Age Labor Force Participation: South Carolina Reports Gains in 2024

Lainey Stalnaker, Data Analytics Writer

From 2023 to 2024, the prime-age labor force participation rate (LFPR) in South Carolina increased 2.5 points from 78.6 percent to 81.1 percent.[1] Prime-age LFPR is the proportion of the population aged 25-54 that are either employed or seeking employment. As the name suggests, this group is the most likely to be in the labor force, as those younger than 25 are more likely to be in some type of school or training, and those older than 54 are more likely to be nearing or at retirement. An uptick in labor force participation among this group suggests that the people we expect to be working or seeking work are in fact doing so—a clear signal of the strength of the state’s job market.

South Carolina’s LFPR in 2024 was 2.5 points lower than the U.S. average, shown in the figure below. LFPR was highest among the 25-34 age group at 82.7 percent, which was just one point lower than the U.S. rate. Participation was lowest among the 45-54 age group at 78.7 percent, 3.6 points lower than the U.S. rate.

Although South Carolina’s labor force has grown rapidly in recent years, the overall LFPR has remained largely unchanged; at 58.6 percent, it is 4.0 points lower than the U.S. as a whole. This is due in part to an influx of retirees and an aging population, which has somewhat overshadowed, statistically, the participation of other age groups. In other words, conditions in South Carolina are improving in ways that aren’t fully captured by metrics such as overall LFPR. Prime-age workers, however, are showing their confidence in the labor market.  

[1] https://www.bls.gov/lau/ptable14full2024.htm