Unemployment rates are rising across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm across the nation and likely leading to interest rate cuts in September.
As of July, unemployment rates increased in 350 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 47 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in South Carolina, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in July 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%. Still, it's up substantially from 3.5% during the same month last year and has climbed to the highest rate since November 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.
The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, indicating plans to cut interest rates in the coming weeks and months to alleviate economic strain and avoid further job losses.
Since last year, unemployment has spiked in over half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing."
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in South Carolina.
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#46. Charleston County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 240,752 people (9,505 unemployed)
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#45. Lexington County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 162,450 people (6,749 unemployed)
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#44. Dorchester County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 89,273 people (3,853 unemployed)
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#43. Saluda County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,349 people (415 unemployed)
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#42. Berkeley County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 123,049 people (5,458 unemployed)
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#41. Greenville County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 276,075 people (12,309 unemployed)
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#40. York County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 157,612 people (7,326 unemployed)
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#39. Jasper County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,658 people (682 unemployed)
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#38. Anderson County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 97,301 people (4,612 unemployed)
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#37. Newberry County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,512 people (929 unemployed)
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#36. Kershaw County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,672 people (1,520 unemployed)
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#35. Hampton County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,701 people (426 unemployed)
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#34. Florence County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 71,319 people (3,480 unemployed)
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#33. Aiken County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 76,582 people (3,777 unemployed)
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#32. Beaufort County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 85,315 people (4,169 unemployed)
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#31. Edgefield County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,849 people (539 unemployed)
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#30. Oconee County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 36,560 people (1,837 unemployed)
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#29. Lancaster County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,462 people (2,331 unemployed)
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#28. Horry County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 171,641 people (8,523 unemployed)
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#27. Richland County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 211,701 people (10,594 unemployed)
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#26. Chesterfield County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,073 people (1,136 unemployed)
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#25. Spartanburg County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 165,454 people (8,519 unemployed)
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#24. Colleton County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,431 people (907 unemployed)
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#23. Georgetown County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,035 people (1,516 unemployed)
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#22. Laurens County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,122 people (1,673 unemployed)
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#21. Pickens County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 61,870 people (3,253 unemployed)
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#20. Darlington County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,456 people (1,744 unemployed)
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#19. McCormick County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,579 people (198 unemployed)
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#18. Calhoun County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,976 people (384 unemployed)
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#17. Sumter County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 43,204 people (2,551 unemployed)
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#16. Abbeville County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,484 people (566 unemployed)
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#15. Fairfield County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,936 people (600 unemployed)
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#14. Greenwood County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,971 people (1,794 unemployed)
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#13. Lee County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,891 people (442 unemployed)
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#12. Clarendon County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,316 people (797 unemployed)
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#11. Chester County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,381 people (936 unemployed)
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#10. Union County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,010 people (795 unemployed)
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#9. Dillon County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,362 people (936 unemployed)
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#8. Marion County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,631 people (954 unemployed)
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#7. Barnwell County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 3.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,706 people (566 unemployed)
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#6. Orangeburg County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,724 people (2,723 unemployed)
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#5. Williamsburg County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,512 people (837 unemployed)
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#4. Allendale County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,487 people (206 unemployed)
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#3. Cherokee County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 3.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,782 people (1,884 unemployed)
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#2. Bamberg County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,795 people (433 unemployed)
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#1. Marlboro County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,654 people (700 unemployed)
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.