Jobs, pay and daily life in Sumter, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Sumter is a city in South Carolina with 43,053 residents. The median household earns $55,592 a year and the median rent is $1,076 a month, which is 23.2% of the median household income. It is part of the Sumter, SC metropolitan area, where BLS counts 34,560 jobs.
How Sumter compares. Among the 80 largest places in South Carolina, Sumter is #9 by population, #68 for remote work (#1 = most), #57 for household income (#1 = highest), #25 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Sumter County, is #23 of 46 counties for average pay ($53,273).
Sumter has 43,053 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.8% of the population of South Carolina. It covers 33 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,299 people per square mile. The median age is 33.6, 16% younger than the state median (33.6 against 40.2).
The median gross rent is $1,076 a month (rent plus utilities), 9% below the state median ($1,076 against $1,180). Over a year that is 23.2% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $199,100, which is 3.6 times the median household income ($55,592); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 57.2% of households own their home, 20% below the state average (57.2% against 71.9%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Sumter, SC metropolitan area has 34,560 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $42,890 a year, 16% below the national median ($42,890 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (4,270 jobs, median $39,100); production (3,970 jobs, median $45,300); food preparation and serving related (3,090 jobs, median $27,360). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Sumter County was 4.8%. 51.7% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Sumter County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 82.3% drive alone, 0.1% use public transit, 1.8% walk, 6.1% work from home. 11.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 24% below the state average (11.2% against 14.7%).
28.7% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 11% below the state share (28.7% against 32.1%). 4.9% of residents were born outside the United States, 16% below the state share (4.9% against 5.8%). The poverty rate is 16.7%, 19% above the state rate (16.7% against 14.1%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 83°F (28.1°C), and the coolest is Jan at 43°F (6.3°C). About 1,148 mm (45 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (127 mm) and Jan the driest (71 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Camden (25 miles, rent 11% lower); Lugoff (25 miles, rent 15% lower); Columbia (30 miles, rent 12% higher); Woodfield (32 miles, rent 9% higher). Rent differences are against Sumter; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in South Carolina (373) →State guide: South CarolinaCountry guideSumter CountySouth Carolina rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 373 federal postings open in South Carolina (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in South Carolina →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,060 | 1.23 | $24,510 | $21,420 | $33,510 | -21% |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,010 | 1.17 | $28,720 | $21,330 | $44,050 | -19% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 990 | 1.71 | $39,100 | $30,360 | $50,750 | -13% |
| Cashiers | 910 | 1.33 | $26,710 | $20,810 | $31,450 | -19% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 890 | 0.93 | $28,030 | $22,360 | $33,950 | -22% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 880 | 2.81 | $39,040 | $37,290 | $47,570 | -13% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 720 | 1.10 | $36,090 | $29,120 | $45,360 | -10% |
| Registered Nurses | 670 | 0.89 | $86,260 | $66,830 | $104,660 | -12% |
| Office Clerks, General | 620 | 1.13 | $35,260 | $20,550 | $54,570 | -22% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 580 | 1.19 | $30,640 | $22,200 | $39,210 | -17% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 550 | 1.62 | $47,340 | $27,720 | $69,550 | -5% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 520 | 0.82 | $30,990 | $27,730 | $44,010 | -17% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 490 | 0.96 | $17,440 | $15,080 | $51,030 | -50% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 480 | 1.04 | $46,500 | $36,880 | $77,990 | -21% |
| Nursing Assistants | 470 | 1.46 | $35,860 | $28,240 | $38,780 | -15% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 470 | 1.53 | $57,650 | $45,440 | $72,850 | -10% |
| General and Operations Managers | 420 | 0.55 | $99,850 | $50,740 | $209,010 | -6% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 410 | 1.07 | $40,210 | $24,590 | $59,020 | -15% |
| Construction Laborers | 390 | 1.60 | $38,650 | $29,510 | $57,680 | -18% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 350 | 1.94 | $78,290 | $54,060 | $119,970 | -2% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 670 | 0.89 | $86,260 | $66,830 | $104,660 | -12% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 550 | 1.62 | $47,340 | $27,720 | $69,550 | -5% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 990 | 1.71 | $39,100 | $30,360 | $50,750 | -13% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 880 | 2.81 | $39,040 | $37,290 | $47,570 | -13% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 720 | 1.10 | $36,090 | $29,120 | $45,360 | -10% |
| Office Clerks, General | 620 | 1.13 | $35,260 | $20,550 | $54,570 | -22% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 520 | 0.82 | $30,990 | $27,730 | $44,010 | -17% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 580 | 1.19 | $30,640 | $22,200 | $39,210 | -17% |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,010 | 1.17 | $28,720 | $21,330 | $44,050 | -19% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 890 | 0.93 | $28,030 | $22,360 | $33,950 | -22% |
| Cashiers | 910 | 1.33 | $26,710 | $20,810 | $31,450 | -19% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,060 | 1.23 | $24,510 | $21,420 | $33,510 | -21% |
These figures are for the whole Sumter, SC metropolitan area, not the city alone.
| Occupation field ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support | 4,270 | 1.08 | $39,100 | -18% |
| Production | 3,970 | 2.08 | $45,300 | -4% |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | 3,090 | 1.02 | $27,360 | -22% |
| Sales and Related | 3,040 | 1.02 | $30,100 | -22% |
| Transportation and Material Moving | 2,700 | 0.89 | $36,690 | -17% |
| Educational Instruction and Library | 2,010 | 0.99 | $54,390 | -10% |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | 2,010 | 0.92 | $77,360 | -11% |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | 1,990 | 1.47 | $58,240 | -2% |
| Healthcare Support | 1,810 | 1.03 | $33,280 | -13% |
| Management | 1,690 | 0.68 | $97,070 | -23% |
| Business and Financial Operations | 1,640 | 0.70 | $76,400 | -8% |
| Construction and Extraction | 1,560 | 1.09 | $47,430 | -20% |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | 1,050 | 1.04 | $30,780 | -18% |
| Personal Care and Service | 790 | 1.10 | $27,900 | -23% |
| Protective Service | 730 | 0.87 | $47,240 | -6% |
| Community and Social Service | 580 | 0.98 | $48,410 | -17% |
| Architecture and Engineering | 510 | 0.87 | $80,480 | -19% |
| Computer and Mathematical | 450 | 0.39 | $87,760 | -20% |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | 240 | 0.72 | $81,330 | -1% |
| Legal | 190 | 0.64 | $60,480 | -41% |
Median pay across all occupations: $42,890 (US $50,980); unemployment 4.8% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 25.2% |
| Manufacturing | 14.6% |
| Retail trade | 11.6% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 10.7% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 9.0% |
| Public administration | 6.2% |
| Construction | 5.6% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.2% |
| Other services | 5.0% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 1.6% |
| Information | 1.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.4% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Sumter lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter County | 104,725 | $6,288 million | $60,041 | 35,179 | 2,305 | $53,273 | -1.1% | 4.8% | 42,867 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5,889 | 20.1% | $64,550 | 2.04 |
| Health care and social assistance | 5,433 | 18.6% | $55,378 | 1.08 |
| Retail trade | 4,244 | 14.5% | $31,320 | 1.21 |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,412 | 11.7% | $19,661 | 1.07 |
| Construction | 2,510 | 8.6% | $72,461 | 1.36 |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,064 | 7.1% | $41,786 | 1.00 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,012 | 3.5% | $71,440 | 0.41 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 975 | 3.3% | $45,212 | 0.92 |
| Finance and insurance | 832 | 2.8% | $82,843 | 0.58 |
| Wholesale trade | 722 | 2.5% | $73,908 | 0.52 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 623 | 2.1% | $59,704 | 0.42 |
| Educational services | 546 | 1.9% | $37,727 | 0.75 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 279 | 1.0% | $15,351 | 0.47 |
| Management of companies | 227 | 0.8% | $223,130 | 0.38 |
| Real estate and rental | 185 | 0.6% | $47,888 | 0.34 |
| Information | 180 | 0.6% | $66,073 | 0.27 |
| Utilities | 136 | 0.5% | $87,524 | 1.02 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 82.3% |
| Public transit | 0.1% |
| Walk | 1.8% |
| Work from home | 6.1% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 11.2% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,592 |
| Income per person | $29,338 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,076 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 23.2% |
| Median home value | $199,100 |
| Homeowners | 57.2% |
| Poverty rate | 16.7% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 88.0 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $42,890 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 6.00%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 33.6 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 89.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 28.7% |
| Born abroad | 4.9% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 51.7% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.3 | 43 | 71 |
| Feb | 8.2 | 47 | 88 |
| Mar | 12.3 | 54 | 87 |
| Apr | 17.5 | 64 | 78 |
| May | 22.4 | 72 | 98 |
| Jun | 26.5 | 80 | 120 |
| Jul | 28.1 | 83 | 127 |
| Aug | 27.4 | 81 | 120 |
| Sep | 24.4 | 76 | 99 |
| Oct | 18.6 | 65 | 86 |
| Nov | 12.3 | 54 | 73 |
| Dec | 8.4 | 47 | 101 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | SC | 25 mi | 8,267 | $63,576 | $956 |
| Lugoff | SC | 25 mi | 9,786 | $69,485 | $915 |
| Columbia | SC | 30 mi | 139,643 | $55,529 | $1,204 |
| Woodfield | SC | 32 mi | 9,465 | $45,526 | $1,169 |
| Dentsville | SC | 33 mi | 15,209 | $45,473 | $1,250 |
| Forest Acres | SC | 34 mi | 10,530 | $78,306 | $1,263 |
| Cayce | SC | 37 mi | 13,741 | $62,045 | $1,360 |
| Florence | SC | 38 mi | 40,408 | $56,143 | $992 |
| West Columbia | SC | 40 mi | 17,963 | $56,912 | $1,201 |
| Orangeburg | SC | 41 mi | 13,253 | $38,635 | $848 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
43,053 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,076 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 23.2% of the median household income.
$55,592 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.8% (BLS county, Sumter County (latest month 2026M09)).
South Carolina. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.