Charleston Manufacturing Fueling Lowcountry South Carolina’s Job Growth

Boeing assembly line workers are seen making the Dreamliner 787 at a production facility in North Charleston, S.C., on April 27, 2012. Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

If 18th-century Charlestonians were alive now to see South Carolina’s original capital city, they would experience a vastly different business climate than the export empire of indigo, rice, and shipping materials that helped make the city the wealthiest area south of Philadelphia.

High tech and manufacturing are now the rule—and in the next several years, these industries are not only going to be in higher economic demand, but continue to be key factors fueling more Lowcountry housing, jobs, residents, and tourism.

“Since 2019, South Carolina employment growth has totaled +5.3 percent compared to +24.2 percent for tech workers,” professor Joseph Von Nessen, a research economist with the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, said in a recent press release. “Tech workers now comprise a greater percentage of the average company’s workforce.”

The Charleston Metro region alone, with an employment base of more than 400,000, is expected to see 35,000 new jobs added by the end of 2028.

A recent study authored by Charleston Metro marketing manager Justin Allen, shows that production, advanced manufacturing, health care support, management, and both engineering and architecture will be the fastest-growing among 22 industries, as the Charleston area’s economy becomes increasingly innovation-driven.

Wages for all sectors are also expected to increase accordingly.

For example, the study shows that the annual average wage across the Charleston Metro area in 2023 was $58,830.

“But tech jobs pay an average wage of $96,763,” Von Nessen said. This is 78 percent higher than South Carolina’s average pay, and reflects a “skills premium” as well as a high demand for workers in tech-related operations.

The largest tech occupation jobs include software developers, data scientists, and computer systems analysts.

“Tech workers have never been more essential,” Von Nessen said.

And not just for the hard skills any longer—employers also seek candidates with an aptitude for problem-solving, collaboration, detail-oriented approaches, and other abilities that have now come to be known as “soft skills.”

“By emphasizing the importance of soft skills, organizations can ensure they are not only hiring competent employees but also nurturing a dynamic, innovative and resilient workforce that can thrive in an ever-changing business landscape,” Allen highlighted in the study.

In the last decade, the South Carolina tech cluster has grown more than twice as fast as the overall state economy, with a total economic output of $51.7 billion.

The tech sector supports over 143,000 jobs and generates $13.8 billion in labor income. And South Carolina tech firms have experienced a 56.7 percent increase in employment since 2020, underscoring the sector’s vitality.

This growth has made Charleston a major hub for business and tech talent nationwide.

Ignite Digital Services, for example, an operational consulting company providing program integration and data management services to commercial and national security customers, announced in 2023 plans to move its headquarters to downtown Charleston and create 135 new jobs.

“The region offers a high quality of life for its residents and attracts a wide pool of technology talent,” said Marc Murphy, Ignite Digital Services CEO.

Now home to 1,600 tech companies and counting, Charleston averages more than 40 new residents per day, and boasts a labor pool that has grown three times faster than the U.S. average since 2010.

“While the region is the 71st largest of all 380+ U.S. metropolitan areas in terms of population, it punches above its weight-class in innovation,” Allen said in the study.

“The Charleston Metro Area stands out with an increase of over 96 percent in patents per capita, placing it among the top 10 U.S. Metros for the number of utility patents granted per 100,000 residents over the past decade.”

All of which is expected to drive Charleston County growth to more than 448,000 by the year 2035—nearly 13,000 more than the projected population for 2025—and a far cry from its 18th-century dominating export empire—especially since the current manufacturing tech empire is looking to last a lot longer.

“The rise of automation and artificial intelligence is transforming many industries, leading to changes in job requirements and the creation of new roles,” Von Nessen said.

“By staying ahead of these trends through data analysis, workforce development programs can anticipate changes and adapt training and education strategies accordingly. This proactive approach helps ensure that workers are not only prepared for current jobs, but are also adaptable to future changes in the labor market.”