Employment Indicators for South Carolina (2024)

Total Employed

2,435,236
Civilian 16+

Private For-Profit

71.9 %
Largest Sector

Self-Employed

5.9%
Entrepreneurship

Government

15.2%
Public Sector

South Carolina Workforce by Sector & Gender

Employment sector breakdown by gender in
Figure 1: Male vs Female participation in employment sectors (2024).

South Carolina Employment Sector Breakdown

SectorTotal WorkersPercentage
Private For-Profit1,751,58371.9%
Government370,98315.2%
Self-Employed143,5485.9%
Private Non-Profit164,4556.8%

South Carolina Gender Ratio Analysis by Employment Sector (2024)

SectorMale:Female Ratio
Private For-Profit1.22:1
Government0.66:1
Self-Employed1.50:1

South Carolina Employment Trends (2010–2024)

Long-term employment trends in

South Carolina Historical Employment Sector Trends

YearPrivateGovSelf-EmpNon-Profit
202471.9%15.2%5.9%6.8%
202371.9%15.3%5.8%6.7%
202272.2%15.2%5.7%6.6%
202172.7%15.0%5.7%6.5%
202073.0%15.0%5.5%6.3%
201973.5%14.7%5.4%6.2%
201873.6%14.8%5.3%6.1%
201773.3%15.2%5.2%6.1%
201673.1%15.5%5.2%6.1%
201572.7%15.8%5.3%6.1%
201472.4%16.2%5.3%6.0%
201372.2%16.3%5.4%6.0%
201272.1%16.2%5.6%5.9%
201172.2%16.1%5.7%5.8%
201072.4%15.9%5.8%5.7%

Employment Sector FAQs for South Carolina

The largest employment sector in South Carolina is Private For-Profit, which employs 71.9% of the local workforce.

There are approximately 2,435,236 civilian workers aged 16 and over currently employed in South Carolina.

In the private for-profit sector, the male-to-female ratio is 1.22:1. This metric helps highlight gender participation across the most prominent industry classes.

Since 2010, the total number of workers in South Carolina has shown an increase, moving from 2,002,289 to 2,435,236 according to Census Bureau records.