The Official Web Site of the State of South Carolina

DEW and SC Works offices will be closed Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 in observance of Thanksgiving. All offices will reopen on Monday, December 2, and we will be happy to serve you then. Please note that unemployment payments may be delayed depending on your financial institution's holiday schedule.

South Carolina Employment Situation December 2020

Tue, 01/26/2021

South Carolina’s Employment Situation

December 2020

 

I. Household Survey(1)

Employment: The seasonally adjusted, monthly survey of households estimated the number of South Carolinians working decreased to 2,232,786.

  • That is a decrease of 3,646 people over November 2020.
  • That is also a significant decrease of 93,232 people over December 2019.

Unemployment: Unemployment estimates increased to 107,253 people.

  • That is an increase of 4,547 people since November 2020 and a notable increase of 49,974 over December 2019.
  • The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.6 percent in December from 4.4 percent in November.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7 percent in December

Labor force: The state’s estimated labor force (people working plus unemployed people looking for work) increased to 2,340,039.

  • That is an increase of 901 people over November 2020.
  • That is a considerable decrease of 43,258 individuals over December 2019.

Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (Seasonally Adjusted(3))

The Current Employment Survey of businesses in South Carolina marked an increase of 14,600 nonfarm payroll jobs over the month to a level of 2,156,400.

  • Industries reporting gains were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+6,900); Professional and Business Services (+5,300); Leisure and Hospitality (+2,300); Construction (+900); and Government (+500).
  • Decreases were noticed in the Education and Health Services (-400); Other Services (-400); Financial Activities (-300); and Manufacturing (-200). Information remained flat over the period.

From December 2019 to December 2020, South Carolina’s economy has lost 53,200 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs.

  • Construction (+5,800); Other Services (+4,400); Manufacturing (+1,800); Professional and Business Services (1,800); and Financial Activities (+900) industries reported gains over the year.
  • Decreases were reported in Leisure and Hospitality (-43,500); Education and Health Services (-11,500); Government (-11,400); Information (-1,000); and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-400).

Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted(2))

Not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 12,800 from November 2020 to December 2020 for a total of 2,164,800.

  • Industries reporting growth during this period were Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+9,800); Professional and Business Services (+3,800); Construction (+1,100); Manufacturing (+200); Information (+200); and Government (+100).
  • Industries reporting declines were Leisure and Hospitality (-1,300); Education and Health Services (-800); and Other Services (-300).
  • Mining and Logging and Financial Activities showed no movement over the period.

 

Since December 2019, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs were down 52,600 overall in South Carolina.

  • Only the Construction (+5,800); Other Services (+4,400); Professional and Business Services (+1,900); Manufacturing (+1,700); and Financial Activities (+1,300) industries showed annual gains.
  • Industries recording an over the year loss are Leisure and Hospitality (-43,400); Education and Health Services (-11,700); Government (-11,400); Information (-1,100); and Mining and Logging (-100). Trade, Transportation, and Utilities showed no over the year changes.
Key for Note items 1 through 4
Note Explanation
(1) Household Survey (Current Population Survey): is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This survey provides monthly statistics on employment, unemployment, and related subjects analyzed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(2) Current Employment Statistics Survey: is a monthly survey of about 40,000 employers which yields estimates of nonagricultural wage and salary employment, hours, and earnings by industry.
(3) Seasonally Adjusted: Seasonal adjustment removes the effects of events that follow a more or less regular pattern each year (i.e. tourist-related hiring and school closings in the summer). These adjustments make it easier to observe the cyclical and other nonseasonal movements in data over time.
(4) Not Seasonally Adjusted: Effects of regular or seasonal patterns have not been removed from these data

 

Nonfarm Employment by Industry, Seasonally Adjusted

Statewide December 2020
        Nov. to Dec 2020 Nov. to Dec 2020     Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020 Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020    
Area December 2020 November 2020 December 2019 # Change % Change # Change % Change
Total Nonfarm Employment 2,156,400 2,141,800 2,209,600 14,600 0.68% -53,200 -2.41%
Construction 115,000 114,100 109,200 900 0.79% 5,800 5.31%
Manufacturing 259,700 259,900 257,900 -200 -0.08% 1,800 0.70%
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 410,700 403,800 411,100 6,900 1.71% -400 -0.10%
Information 25,700 25,700 26,700 0 0.00% -1,000 -3.75%
Finance Activities 105,100 105,400 104,200 -300 -0.28% 900 0.86%
Professional and Business Services 304,000 298,700 302,200 5,300 1.77% 1,800 0.60%
Education and Health Services 247,300 247,700 258,800 -400 -0.16% -11,500 -4.44%
Leisure and Hospitality 236,000 233,700 279,500 2,300 0.98% -43,500 -15.56%
Other Services 84,700 85,100 80,300 -400 -0.47% 4,400 5.48%
Government 363,900 363,400 375,300 500 0.14% -11,400 -3.04%

 

Nonfarm Employment by Industry, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Statewide December 2020
        Nov. to Dec 2020 Nov. to Dec 2020     Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020 Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020    
Area December 2020 November 2020 December 2019 # Change % Change # Change % Change
Total Nonfarm Employment 2,164,800 2,152,000 2,217,400 12,800 0.59% -52,600 -2.37%
Mining and Logging 4,300 4,300 4,400 0 0.00% -100 -2.27%
Construction 115,200 114,100 109,400 1,100 0.96% 5,800 5.30%
Manufacturing 259,900 259,700 258,200 200 0.08% 1,700 0.66%
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 420,500 410,700 420,500 9,800 2.39% 0 0.00%
Information 25,900 25,700 27,000 200 0.78% -1,100 -4.07%
Financial Activities 105,200 105,200 103,900 0 0.00% 1,300 1.25%
Professional and Business Services 306,400 302,600 304,500 3,800 1.26% 1,900 0.62%
Education and Health Services 248,600 249,400 260,300 -800 -0.32% -11,700 -4.49%
Leisure and Hospitality 226,400 227,700 269,800 -1,300 -0.57% -43,400 -16.09%
Other Services 84,200 84,500 79,800 -300 -0.36% 4,400 5.51%
Government 368,200 368,100 379,600 100 0.03% -11,400 -3.00%

 

Nonfarm Employment by Area, Seasonally Adjusted

South Carolina & Metropolitan Seasonally Adjusted

December 2020
        Nov. to Dec 2020 Nov. to Dec 2020     Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020 Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020    
Area December 2020 November 2020 December 2019 # Change % Change # Change % Change
Statewide 2,156,400 2,141,800 2,209,600 14,600 0.68% -53,200 -2.41%
Charleston/North Charleston MSA 358,200 355,100 378,700 3,100 0.87% -20,500 -5.41%
Columbia MSA 393,400 390,600 404,900 2,800 0.72% -11,500 -2.84%
Florence MSA 91,200 90,400 92,900 800 0.88% -1,700 -1.83%
Greenville/Anderson/Mauldin MSA 427,300 428,200 433,500 -900 -0.21% -6,200 -1.43%
Hilton Head-Bluffton-Beaufort MSA 85,700 85,100 86,100 600 0.71% -400 -0.46%
Myrtle Beach MSA 164,600 163,400 178,500 1,200 0.73% -13,900 -7.79%
Spartanburg MSA 155,200 153,400 163,600 1,800 1.17% -8,400 -5.13%
Sumter MSA 37,800 37,500 39,900 300 0.80% -2,100 -5.26%

Note: Employment estimates have been rounded to the nearest hundred. Sum of detail may not equal totals due to rounding or the exclusion of certain industries from publication. All data are subject to revision.

Nonfarm Employment by Area, Not Seasonally Adjusted

South Carolina & Metropolitan Not Seasonally Adjusted

December 2020
        Nov. to Dec 2020 Nov. to Dec 2020     Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020 Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020    
Area December 2020 November 2020 December 2019 # Change % Change # Change % Change
Statewide 2,164,800 2,152,000 2,217,400 12,800 0.59% -52,600 -2.37%
Charleston/North Charleston MSA 359,400 356,700 379,900 2,700 0.76% -20,500 -5.40%
Columbia MSA 395,700 394,700 407,500 1,000 0.25% -11,800 -2.90%
Florence MSA 91,800 90,900 93,500 900 0.99% -1,700 -1.82%
Greenville MSA 431,200 431,500 437,700 -300 -0.07% -6,500 -1.49%
Hilton Head-Bluffton-Beaufort MSA 84,200 84,400 84,600 -200 -0.24% -400 -0.47%
Myrtle Beach MSA/Conway/N. Myrtle Beach MSA 158,200 158,800 172,000 -600 -0.38% -13,800 -8.02%
Spartanburg MSA 156,500 154,500 165,100 2,000 1.29% -8,600 -5.21%
Sumter MSA 38,100 37,600 40,200 500 1.33% -2,100 -5.22%

Note: Employment estimates have been rounded to the nearest hundred. Sum of detail may not equal totals due to rounding or the exclusion of certain industries from publication. All data are subject to revision.

 

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

LOCAL AREA UNEMPLOYMENT ESTIMATES BY COUNTY, MSA, AND STATE

(NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)4.1
Area Rate Up/Rate Down/Same Labor Force Dec. 2020 Employment Dec. 2020 Unemployment Level Dec. 2020 Unemployment Rate Labor Force Nov. 2020 Employment     Nov. 2020 Unemployment Level Nov. 2020 Unemployment Rate Labor Force Dec. 2019 Employment     Dec. 2019 Unemployment Level     Dec. 2019 Unemployment Rate
Allendale County Rate Up 2,582 2,360 222 8.6 2,552 2,374 178 7.0 2,676 2,543 133 5.0
Bamberg County Rate Up     4,889 4,507 382 7.8 4,860 4,530 330 6.8 4,945 4,715 230 4.7
Marlboro County Rate Up     9,155 8,468 687 7.5 9,14 8,505 641 7.0 9,157 8,814 343 3.7
Orangeburg County Rate Up     35,100 32,535 2,565 7.3 34,990 32,677 2,313 6.6 34,973 33,531 1,442 4.1
Marion County Rate Up     12,804 11,882 922 7.2 12,761 11,942 819 6.4 12,831 12,390 441 3.4
Chester County Rate Up     13,133 12,233 900 6.9 13,112 12,294 818 6.2 13,492 12,996 496 3.7
Union County Rate Up     11,517 10,730 787 6.8 11,401 10,722 679 6.0 11,669 11,327 342 2.9
Barnwell County Rate Up     7,938 7,410 528 6.7 7,877 7,439 438 5.6 8,187 7,887 300 3.7
Williamsburg County Rate Up     11,926 11,165 761 6.4 11,871 11,209 662 5.6 11,886 11,379 507 4.3
Horry County Rate Up     136,755 128,404 8,351 6.1 137,125 129,986 7,139 5.2 145,007 140,213 4,794 3.3
Fairfield County Rate Up     9,412 8,849 563 6.0 9,447 8,918 529 5.6 9,613 9,234 379 3.9
Lee County Rate Up     6,491 6,101 390 6.0 6,487 6,127 360 5.5 6,651 6,381 270 4.1
Cherokee County Rate Up     25,310 23,855 1,455 5.7 25,225 23,911 1,314 5.2 25,239 24,562 677 2.7
Georgetown County Rate Up     25,465 24,012 1,453 5.7 25,439 24,146 1,293 5.1 25,442 24,595 847 3.3
Clarendon County Rate Up     12,438 11,749 689 5.5 12,382 11,779 603 4.9 12,702 12,272 430 3.4
McCormick County Rate Up     3,312 3,129 183 5.5 3,298 3,136 162 4.9 3,380 3,293 87 2.6
Dillon County Rate Up     13,022 12,318 704 5.4 12,995 12,375 620 4.9 13,056 12,601 455 3.5
Sumter County Rate Up     42,151 39,869 2,282 5.4 41,788 39,737 2,051 4.9 43,703 42,381 1,322 3.0
Colleton County Rate Up     16,681 15,816 865 5.2 16,624 15,851 773 4.6 16,765 16,315 450 2.7
Calhoun County Rate Up     6,441 6,115 326 5.1 6,452 6,162 290 4.5 6,596 6,398 198 3.0
Darlington County Rate Up     30,249 28,704 1,545 5.1 30,154 28,757 1,397 4.6 30,527 29,673 854 2.8
Greenwood County Rate Up     30,983 29,413 1,570 5.1 30,957 29,544 1,413 4.6 31,607 30,788 819 2.6
Lancaster County Rate Up     40,009 37,977 2,032 5.1 39,969 38,150 1,819 4.6 41,494 40,297 1,197 2.9
Chesterfield County Rate Up     21,754 20,685 1,069 4.9 21,696 20,759 937 4.3 22,029 21,488 541 2.5
Abbeville County Rate Up     9,894 9,424 470 4.8 9,871 9,457 414 4.2 10,138 9,840 298 2.9
Laurens County Rate Up     30,265 28,819 1,446 4.8 30,353 29,083 1,270 4.2 30,322 29,566 756 2.5
Richland County Rate Up     196,493 187,032 9,461 4.8 197,051 188,478 8,573 4.4 198,728 194,263 4,465 2.2
Florence County Rate Up     66,808 63,732 3,076 4.6 66,501 63,797 2,704 4.1 67,226 65,612 1,614 2.4
Spartanburg County Rate Up     149,145 142,340 6,805 4.6 148,440 142,267 6,173 4.2 153,496 150,257 3,239 2.1
Charleston County Rate Up     205,453 196,433 9,020 4.4 204,931 196,644 8,287 4.0 212,623 208,673 3,950 1.9
York County Rate Up     135,978 130,058 5,920 4.4 136,036 130,619 5,417 4.0 141,013 137,775 3,238 2.3
Berkeley County Rate Up     100,616 96,334 4,282 4.3 100,326 96,499 3,827 3.8 104,569 102,348 2,221 2.1
Dorchester County Rate Up     75,597 72,377 3,220 4.3 75,429 72,499 2,930 3.9 78,491 76,917 1,574 2.0
Hampton County Rate Up     8,246 7,902 344 4.2 8,275 7,965 310 3.7 8,383 8,198 185 2.2
Kershaw County Rate Up     28,580 27,372 1,208 4.2 28,644 27,585 1,059 3.7 29,296 28,555 741 2.5
Anderson County Rate Up     91,253 87,470 3,783 4.1 91,646 88,284 3,362 3.7 91,598 89,575 2,023 2.2
Greenville County Rate Up     255,179 245,227 9,952 3.9 256,417 247,505 8,912 3.5 256,113 250,986 5,127 2.0
Jasper County Rate Up     12,631 12,138 493 3.9 12,683 12,241 442 3.5 12,631 12,372 259 2.1
Newberry County Rate Up     18,490 17,761 729 3.9 18,512 17,870 642 3.5 19,122 18,680 442 2.3
Aiken County Rate Up     72,073 69,323 2,750 3.8 71,971 69,504 2,467 3.4 74,745 72,970 1,775 2.4
Edgefield County Rate Up     10,271 9,880 391 3.8 10,265 9,9061,775 359 3.5 10,712 10,460 252 2.4
Oconee County Rate Up     34,730 33,420 1,310 3.8 34,696 33,586 1,110 3.2 35,025 34,247 778 2.2
Beaufort County Rate Up     77,404 74,516 2,888 3.7 77,845 75,339 2,506 3.2 77,375 75,731 1,644 2.1
Pickens County Rate Up     57,195 55,075 2,120 3.7 57,445 55,568 1,877 3.3 57,692 56,367 1,325 2.3
Saluda County Rate Up     8,508 8,203 305 3.6 8,535 8,276 259 3.0 8,918 8,724 194 2.2
Lexington County Rate Up     146,692 141,518 5,174 3.5 147,133 142,579 4,554 3.1 150,174 147,345 2,829 1.9
Charleston - North Charleston MSA Rate Up     381,666 365,144 16,522 4.3 380,686 365,642 15,044 4.0 395,683 387,938 7,745 2.0
Columbia MSA Rate Up     396,126 379,089 17,037 4.3 397,262 381,998 15,264 3.8 403,325 394,519 8,806 2.2
Florence MSA Rate Up     97,057 92,436 4,621 4.8 96,655 92,554 4,101 4.2 97,753 95,285 2,468 2.5
Greenville -Anderson-Mauldin MSA Rate Up     433,892 416,591 17,301 4.0 435,861 420,440 15,421 3.5 435,725 426,494 9,231 2.1
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED South Carolina Rate Up     2,340,039 2,232,786 107,253 4.6 2,339,138 2,236,432 102,706 4.4 2,383,297 2,326,018 57,279 2.4

Current month's estimates are preliminary. All data are subject to revision.