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# South Carolina Adds 10,800 Jobs in One of Nation’s Strongest Gains
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-south-carolina-2026-09-20-b/
- Published: 2026-09-20T10:47:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-20T10:47:25.000Z
- Description: South Carolina added 10,800 payroll jobs in August, one of only four states with a significant monthly gain. The jobless rate eased to 4.1% as employed residents and the labor force reached new highs.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: State News, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, South Carolina, Wisconsin

South Carolina added an estimated 10,800 nonfarm payroll jobs in August, one of only four states with a statistically significant monthly gain, according to the [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' September 18 state employment report](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm?ref=theamericanquorum.com). The increase lifted seasonally adjusted payroll employment to 2,426,300 and placed South Carolina alongside California, Wisconsin and New Mexico as the states with clear month-to-month job growth.

The state's annual performance was also among the strongest nationally. Payrolls rose by 38,600 jobs, or 1.6%, from August 2025\. [BLS said 1.6% was the joint-highest annual percentage increase](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm?ref=theamericanquorum.com), shared by South Carolina, Louisiana and New Mexico. Nationally, nonfarm payroll employment rose 0.4% over the same period, according to the [South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce's summary](https://dew.sc.gov/news/2026-09/employment-and-workforce-executive-director-william-floyds-statement-august-2026?ref=theamericanquorum.com).

The detailed state data show that August's growth was concentrated rather than uniform. [DEW's August employment report](https://dew.sc.gov/sites/dew/files/Documents/Employment%20Situation%20August%202026%20Final.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com) estimated that leisure and hospitality added 4,000 jobs during the month, professional and business services added 3,900, government added 2,700 and manufacturing added 1,200\. Education and health services lost 700 jobs, while other services lost 400; construction and financial activities each declined by 100.

## Unemployment eased as employment rose

South Carolina's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate moved from 4.2% in July to 4.1% in August, matching the national rate. The [household-based state estimates](https://dew.sc.gov/sites/dew/files/Documents/Employment%20Situation%20August%202026%20Final.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com) put the number of employed residents at 2,566,682, up 6,208 over the month and 73,996 over the year. The labor force—people working or actively seeking work—reached 2,675,730, a monthly increase of 2,804 and an annual increase of 63,889\. The estimated number of unemployed residents fell by 3,404 during August to 109,048.

The decline in the unemployment rate should be read with statistical caution. BLS listed South Carolina's 10,800 payroll gain as significant, but did not include the state's one-tenth-point unemployment-rate decline among the eight states and District of Columbia with statistically significant monthly rate decreases. The agency did identify South Carolina's annual rate change—from 4.6% to 4.1%—as statistically significant.

The distinction reflects two separate measures. As [BLS explains in its release](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm?ref=theamericanquorum.com), unemployment and labor-force figures are modeled largely from a household survey and describe people by where they live. Payroll counts come from an employer survey and describe jobs by where establishments are located. A resident may hold more than one job, and South Carolina payroll jobs can be held by commuters who live elsewhere, so the totals are not directly interchangeable.

For jobseekers, the strongest near-term signals were in leisure and hospitality and professional and business services, while the year-over-year data showed gains across nearly every major sector. Leisure and hospitality led the annual increase with 10,300 additional jobs, followed by education and health services with 7,900 and government with 5,900\. Information was the sole major sector with a year-over-year decline, down 2,300 jobs.

All August estimates are preliminary and may be revised. BLS is scheduled to publish September state employment data on October 20.