Charleston keeps outpacing a cooling national economy.
3.7%
Metro unemployment rate
vs 4.1% SC, 4.2% US (July–Sept 2026)
5.7%
Charleston County wage growth
vs 4.0% statewide, Q1 2026
6th nationally
Metro employment growth rank
4.1% YoY growth, tied with peer metros
3.0% wages vs 3.4% CPI
National wage-inflation gap
US pay growth trailing inflation, Sept 2026
This Month's Takeaways
01
Charleston is outrunning both the state and the nation.
The metro's 3.7% unemployment rate and 4.1% annual job growth rate (sixth-fastest nationally) stand in contrast to a U.S. labor market that added just 29,000 jobs in September with sizable downward revisions. For commerce leaders, this suggests the local expansion story remains intact even as national headlines turn cautious.
02
Wage growth here is a strength, not a warning sign.
Charleston County's 5.7% year-over-year wage growth outpaces the state's 4.0% average and significantly exceeds the national wage-inflation gap, where U.S. wages (3.0%) are now trailing inflation (3.4%). Locally, this appears consistent with real income gains rather than the erosion in purchasing power showing up in national data.
03
Named capital investment is still flowing into the metro.
Stöbich Fire Protection's $2.53 million Dorchester County expansion and continued Boeing-linked aerospace activity in North Charleston signal that site-selection decisions are still favoring the region. This is a more durable economic momentum signal than monthly job counts alone.
04
Public-sector and healthcare growth are anchoring the broader base.
Statewide, government and education/health services added a combined 13,800 jobs year-over-year, offsetting the national trend of government payroll contraction (down 216,000 over the past year). Locally, MUSC and Charleston County School District remain among the area's largest employers, suggesting public-sector stability is cushioning the metro against national public-payroll softness.
Local Economic Conditions
Charleston-North Charleston's 3.7% unemployment rate (July 2026) sits well below both the state's 4.1% and the national 4.2%, with the metro's 4.1% annual employment growth rate tying for sixth-fastest among U.S. metros as aerospace, logistics, and healthcare expansion continue to pull in workers faster than the labor force can absorb them. Charleston County's 5.7% wage growth leads South Carolina, outpacing the statewide 4.0% average and suggesting the metro's tight labor conditions are translating into real purchasing-power gains even as national wage growth has cooled to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation.
Open Threads in the Data
Charleston's economic trajectory diverges meaningfully from the national picture this month — while U.S. payroll growth slowed sharply to 29,000 in September with downward revisions to prior months, Charleston's labor market shows no comparable softening, reinforcing the metro's position as a coastal growth outlier within a state where inland counties like Richland and Lexington are essentially flat. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion timing should weigh that local wage growth (5.7% in Charleston County) is running well ahead of the statewide and national trend, meaning labor costs here are rising faster than the broader slowdown would suggest. Current conditions suggest monitoring whether aerospace and logistics investment commitments (such as the Stöbich Fire Protection expansion in Dorchester County) continue at pace, as these serve as a leading indicator of whether the metro's momentum is broadening or concentrating in a few large projects.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$31,289 |
→ Stable |
5,214 |
| Retail Cashier |
$29,146 |
↓ Moderate decline |
2,027 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$37,436 |
→ Stable |
1,214 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$72,800 |
↓ Moderate decline |
4,686 |
| Delivery Driver |
$35,360 |
↓ Moderate decline |
2,743 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$40,560 |
→ Stable |
434 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$65,520 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,744 |
| HVAC Technician |
$70,720 |
→ Stable |
446 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$41,413 |
↓ Moderate decline |
800 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$39,520 |
↑ Moderate increase |
965 |
| Operations Manager |
$82,955 |
→ Stable |
136 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$32,640 |
→ Stable |
209 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$37,440 |
→ Stable |
1,578 |
| Registered Nurse |
$93,600 |
↑ Significant increase |
12,056 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$41,600 |
→ Stable |
1,233 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$124,802 |
↑ Moderate increase |
413 |
| Data Engineer |
$109,621 |
↓ Significant decline |
236 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$70,888 |
↑ Moderate increase |
619 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$63,643 |
→ Stable |
146 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$61,300 |
→ Stable |
38 |
| Business Analyst |
$89,159 |
→ Stable |
196 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$83,068 |
↑ Moderate increase |
196 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$61,562 |
↑ Significant increase |
4,996 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$85,640 |
↑ Significant increase |
975 |
Industry Snapshot · Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↑ +5.3% |
↑ +56.2% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +19.1% |
↑ +43.9% |
| Retail Trade |
↑ +3.6% |
↑ +12.3% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +5.6% |
→ −2.6% |
| Information |
↑ +25.0% |
↑ +18.7% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −3.2% |
↑ +44.3% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +11.3% |
↑ +21.2% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +30.3% |
↑ +11.9% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
→ 0.0% |
↑ +17.9% |
| Government |
↑ +26.2% |
↓ −8.4% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Potential inflection point
National payroll growth has slowed to 29,000 with downward revisions, a pattern not yet visible in Charleston data. Watch whether the metro's 4.1% employment growth rate holds through the next BLS metro release or begins converging toward the national slowdown.
Worth watching
DP World's September 1 WARN filing in Spartanburg (205 workers) is the most recent and largest in the state this year, concentrated in logistics. Charleston's port-dependent logistics sector warrants monitoring for similar notices given its shared exposure to trade and tariff-related freight volume shifts.
Early indicator
South Carolina's labor force participation rose to 58.9%, reflecting sustained in-migration and workforce re-entry rather than one-time hiring surges. Confirm whether Charleston's participation rate is tracking the state's gain or diverging, as this shapes how tight the local labor supply will remain into 2027.
Expected
Manufacturing and food/hospitality account for 17 of South Carolina's 33 WARN notices year-to-date. Given the metro's aerospace and hospitality exposure, local economic development officials should track whether any new filings touch Charleston-area facilities directly.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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