{"schema_version": 1, "id": "sc-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 330, "label": "SC NONMETROPOLITAN AREA", "slug": "sc-nonmetropolitan-area"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:42:45.832891+00:00", "headline": "Nonmetro South Carolina rides statewide gains, but thinly.", "headline_summary": "South Carolina added 10,800 jobs in August and pushed labor force participation to 58.9%, but nonmetro counties lean on government and healthcare growth while national wage growth (3.0%) now trails inflation (3.4%) for the first time since 2021.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "SC labor force participation", "value": "58.9%", "context": "Up from prior year, signals durable expansion"}, {"label": "SC statewide wage growth", "value": "4.0% YoY", "context": "To $1,296/week, Q1 2026, vs national CPI 3.4%"}, {"label": "National wage-inflation gap", "value": "3.0% vs 3.4%", "context": "First real-wage decline since May 2021"}, {"label": "SC WARN notices YTD", "value": "33 notices / 4,155 workers", "context": "Manufacturing & food/hospitality hit hardest"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Nonmetro growth is riding statewide coattails, not local catalysts.", "body": "South Carolina's 38,600 year-over-year job gains are led by leisure/hospitality, education/health, and government \u2014 sectors with meaningful nonmetro presence but without the wage acceleration seen in coastal finance and tech. Commerce leaders should treat statewide strength as a tailwind, not a guarantee of local momentum."}, {"headline": "Wage growth statewide is outpacing inflation only modestly.", "body": "South Carolina's 4.0% average weekly wage growth compares to national CPI near 3.4%, leaving a thin real-wage cushion for nonmetro households whose wage levels already rank 37th nationally. Consumer spending capacity in nonmetro counties may be more fragile than the state's job-growth headline suggests."}, {"headline": "Public-sector stability is doing heavy lifting for nonmetro payrolls.", "body": "Statewide government employment grew 5,900 jobs year-over-year even as national government payrolls shed workers for twelve straight months. Nonmetro counties with disproportionate public employment shares may be more insulated from national private-sector softness than metro peers."}, {"headline": "Manufacturing and logistics layoffs warrant local tracking.", "body": "DP World's September 1 WARN filing affecting 205 workers in Spartanburg, alongside 10 statewide manufacturing WARN notices affecting 870 employees, signals the sector carries more volatility than its 'flat but present' statewide label suggests. Nonmetro counties with manufacturing concentration should watch whether this is isolated or part of a broader logistics-sector adjustment."}], "local_conditions": "South Carolina's nonmetropolitan counties continue to operate within a statewide expansion that added 10,800 payroll jobs in August and pushed labor force participation to 58.9%, with growth concentrated in construction, education/health services, and government rather than metro-core finance or information sectors. Rural and nonmetro counties typically lag coastal growth leaders like Charleston (1.3% YoY employment growth) and track closer to flat performers like Richland and Lexington, suggesting nonmetro momentum is positive but more muted than the statewide headline implies.", "implications": "Statewide sector momentum \u2014 construction, healthcare, and public-sector stability \u2014 appears to be the primary growth engine available to nonmetro counties, since information and finance gains are concentrated in metro cores. Government payroll additions (+5,900 statewide year-over-year) suggest public-sector employment remains a stabilizing force for nonmetro commerce activity even as private white-collar hiring stays metro-concentrated nationally. Local economic development leaders should consider tracking whether construction and healthcare project announcements materialize locally, since these are the sectors most likely to anchor nonmetro payroll growth through year-end.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Worth watching", "body": "National payroll growth slowed sharply to 29,000 in September with downward revisions to July and August totaling 60,000 \u2014 a pattern that, if it reaches South Carolina's nonmetro counties with a lag, would first show up in construction and logistics given their national sensitivity to softening demand."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Real wages nationally are no longer outpacing inflation (3.0% wage growth vs. 3.4% CPI), the weakest gap since May 2021. Nonmetro counties with wage levels already below state median are most exposed if this dynamic persists into Q4 consumer spending."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Thirty-three WARN notices have been filed statewide in 2026 year-to-date, concentrated in manufacturing and food/hospitality \u2014 two sectors with outsized nonmetro footprints. A cluster of additional filings in October would be a meaningful signal of broader nonmetro softening rather than an isolated event."}, {"category": "Expected", "body": "September's national jobs report (due with potential further revisions) and South Carolina's next state employment release will clarify whether August's 10,800-job gain was a one-month acceleration or sustained trend \u2014 directly relevant to whether nonmetro counties can expect continued government and healthcare hiring support."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 21954.0, "metro_p50": 27040.0, "metro_p75": 30475.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33325.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 22187.5, "metro_p50": 25313.4, "metro_p75": 27175.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 31200.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29120.0, "metro_p50": 34472.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 38000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55756.75, "metro_p50": 80937.0, "metro_p75": 92500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 78000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26089.0, "metro_p50": 30254.0, "metro_p75": 32251.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34344.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 27023.0, "metro_p50": 36138.4, "metro_p75": 41133.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40560.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54557.0, "metro_p50": 69359.0, "metro_p75": 79996.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71404.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 28941.0, "metro_p50": 35360.0, "metro_p75": 38272.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30680.0, "metro_p50": 36755.6, "metro_p75": 40560.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26352.5, "metro_p50": 28678.0, "metro_p75": 31200.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33756.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32240.0, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 41363.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41106.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31200.0, "metro_p50": 38480.0, "metro_p75": 41625.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 43680.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 59349.0, "metro_p50": 66796.0, "metro_p75": 75570.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 70720.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 80435.5, "metro_p50": 94791.0, "metro_p75": 102870.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 102581.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 110068.0, "metro_p50": 151775.0, "metro_p75": 167823.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 153652.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 99151.0, "metro_p50": 139407.6, "metro_p75": 157321.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 139500.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 48503.0, "metro_p50": 61608.0, "metro_p75": 68376.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 72182.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 67378.0, "metro_p50": 86799.2, "metro_p75": 100043.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54080.0, "metro_p50": 72729.6, "metro_p75": 91485.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 43411.0, "metro_p50": 65575.0, "metro_p75": 75267.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 62354.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 79665.0, "metro_p50": 79666.0, "metro_p75": 82540.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 85216.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 46014.0, "metro_p50": 61681.2, "metro_p75": 70763.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 56731.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62500.0, "metro_p50": 87500.0, "metro_p75": 98702.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 92749.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 55660.5, "metro_p50": 78053.0, "metro_p75": 78053.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 75521.25, "metro_p50": 91156.0, "metro_p75": 105587.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 98279.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 58654.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 79996.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 34882.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 46446.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 128450.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 82873.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 61798.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 73712.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 31200.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 66691.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "sc-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "pdf": "sc-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf", "sources_html": "sc-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T14:36:13.542012+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/sc-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/sc-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf"}