Nerd Wallet Finance's survey of best counties in SC for getting a job (Columbia: 2013)

[Charlestondata]

They rank them according in part to whether the county is growing and the affordability of living there. It's not surprising that Lexington County ranks #1 with such a huge percentage of its workforce commuting into Columbia and Richland County for work.

The Best Places in South Carolina for Job Seekers

[g-man430]

I was thinking it would be Lexington before I clicked on this thread. Makes sense as they have the lowest county unemployment rate in the state and have for some time now. I am surprised that Beaufort and Kershaw are #2 and #3 though.

[Charlestondata]

Kershaw County residents have quick access to Richland County and Columbia for work. I enjoyed reading the write-ups for the different counties.

[johngolf]

The surprise to me is that Charleston County is not among the top 10. Their August 2013 unemployment rate was 6.6% which is lower then all listed except Lexington County.

[Charlestondata]

Originally Posted by johngolf

The surprise to me is that Charleston County is not among the top 10. Their August 2013 unemployment rate was 6.6% which is lower then all listed except Lexington County.

It's not based just on unemployment. Someone I used to work with who used to live in Charleston but moved back to Columbia where he's from said today that the Charleston area is fast becoming a place of six figures and $10 an hour whereas the Columbia area has a large middle class.