The county economy 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.
Union County is a county of South Carolina with 26,885 residents. Its economy produced $905 million in 2024 (ranked #36 of 46 counties) and had 7,424 jobs with an average annual pay of $48,510 (#36 for pay). The unemployment rate was 6.0% in 2026M09. It is part of the Spartanburg, SC metropolitan area (outlying county).
Union County produced about $905 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.3% of the combined output of the 46 counties of South Carolina that BEA reports (about 0.5% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 36th of 46 on that measure. Per resident that is $33,656, 50% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $67,421. In current dollars output grew 5.3% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 7,424 jobs located in Union County on average in 2024, spread over 490 employer sites (about 15 jobs per site). That is 0.28 jobs for every resident, below the 0.32 of the typical county in South Carolina, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $48,510, 18% below the average of all counties in the state ($48,510 against $58,884). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 1.1% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are manufacturing (38.8% of private jobs, $64,878 a year on average), transportation and warehousing (20.2% of private jobs, $46,425 a year on average), retail trade (17.6% of private jobs, $27,921 a year on average). Together they hold 76.7% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is manufacturing at $64,878 a year, followed by finance and insurance ($57,071). The county is specialised in several industries: transportation and warehousing (3.1 times the US share, 961 jobs); manufacturing (3.0 times the US share, 1,843 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($27,921), health care and social assistance ($33,433). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Union County was 6.0%, 62% above the average of the state's counties (6.0% against 3.7%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 11,284. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 5.5% (2026M05) to 7.3% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $41,621 (ACS 2020–2024), 40% below the state median ($41,621 against $69,324). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Union. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Union County in output are Clarendon County, Calhoun County, Marion County, Edgefield County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 46 counties of South Carolina ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,885 | 35 of 46 |
| GDP 2024 | $905 million | 36 of 46 |
| GDP per resident | $33,656 | 41 of 46 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 7,424 | 31 of 46 |
| Average annual pay | $48,510 | 36 of 46 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +1.1% | 24 of 46 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 6.0% | 42 of 46 |
| Median household income | $41,621 | 43 of 46 |
Federal jobs in South Carolina (373) →All cities of South CarolinaState guide: South Carolina
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.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Union County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union | 8,079 | $31,914 | $832 | $109,400 | 15.8% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,843 | 38.8% | $64,878 | 3.02 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 961 | 20.2% | $46,425 | 3.06 |
| Retail trade | 837 | 17.6% | $27,921 | 1.13 |
| Health care and social assistance | 267 | 5.6% | $33,433 | 0.25 |
| Administrative and waste services | 212 | 4.5% | $34,442 | 0.49 |
| Construction | 157 | 3.3% | $56,752 | 0.40 |
| Finance and insurance | 156 | 3.3% | $57,071 | 0.52 |
| Utilities | 87 | 1.8% | $84,551 | 3.08 |
| Wholesale trade | 81 | 1.7% | $60,513 | 0.28 |
| Professional and technical services | 56 | 1.2% | $46,914 | 0.11 |
| Real estate and rental | 35 | 0.7% | $33,676 | 0.30 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 30 | 0.6% | $70,209 | 0.50 |
| Educational services | 24 | 0.5% | $18,496 | 0.16 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 11,284 |
| Employed residents | 10,604 |
| Unemployed residents | 680 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 7,424 |
| Employer sites | 490 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville County | 548,166 | $48,738 million | $88,910 | 296,981 | $63,216 | 3.2% |
| Richland County | 422,117 | $37,438 million | $88,691 | 227,771 | $62,784 | 3.9% |
| Charleston County | 420,264 | $50,462 million | $120,072 | 278,476 | $68,271 | 3.0% |
| Horry County | 383,016 | $22,774 million | $59,461 | 144,489 | $48,046 | 4.2% |
| Spartanburg County | 347,852 | $22,980 million | $66,062 | 155,484 | $59,564 | 3.7% |
| Lexington County | 304,887 | $19,752 million | $64,785 | 132,596 | $56,005 | 3.2% |
| York County | 293,673 | $19,235 million | $65,497 | 104,775 | $61,068 | 3.7% |
| Berkeley County | 246,802 | $14,302 million | $57,949 | 66,943 | $68,211 | 3.3% |
| Anderson County | 210,478 | $10,558 million | $50,162 | 72,695 | $51,737 | 3.7% |
| Beaufort County | 195,289 | $12,873 million | $65,917 | 71,044 | $54,768 | 3.5% |
| Aiken County | 174,160 | $10,365 million | $59,513 | 65,165 | $63,331 | 3.6% |
| Dorchester County | 167,201 | $6,706 million | $40,110 | 41,444 | $53,559 | 3.3% |
| Florence County | 137,117 | $9,981 million | $72,793 | 68,848 | $52,861 | 4.1% |
| Pickens County | 134,629 | $6,019 million | $44,709 | 39,859 | $53,824 | 3.2% |
| Sumter County | 104,725 | $6,288 million | $60,041 | 35,179 | $53,273 | 4.8% |
| Lancaster County | 104,475 | $5,253 million | $50,281 | 28,110 | $64,550 | 4.0% |
| Orangeburg County | 83,253 | $4,007 million | $48,134 | 27,859 | $54,283 | 4.8% |
| Oconee County | 80,469 | $5,243 million | $65,150 | 25,478 | $57,970 | 3.5% |
| Greenwood County | 69,489 | $4,899 million | $70,497 | 27,679 | $53,318 | 4.2% |
| Laurens County | 68,666 | $2,914 million | $42,436 | 20,195 | $51,561 | 3.6% |
| Kershaw County | 68,314 | $3,417 million | $50,019 | 18,335 | $49,084 | 3.8% |
| Georgetown County | 64,811 | $4,016 million | $61,964 | 26,006 | $50,335 | 4.4% |
| Darlington County | 62,558 | $3,416 million | $54,601 | 20,044 | $57,913 | 4.5% |
| Cherokee County | 56,647 | $2,342 million | $41,340 | 18,064 | $48,261 | 5.7% |
| Chesterfield County | 43,784 | $1,902 million | $43,435 | 14,200 | $49,211 | 4.5% |
| Colleton County | 38,783 | $1,497 million | $38,603 | 10,285 | $48,150 | 4.0% |
| Newberry County | 38,435 | $2,034 million | $52,922 | 14,366 | $49,024 | 3.7% |
| Chester County | 32,182 | $1,822 million | $56,610 | 10,409 | $58,462 | 4.9% |
| Jasper County | 32,166 | $2,148 million | $66,764 | 10,961 | $53,877 | 3.7% |
| Clarendon County | 30,986 | $962 million | $31,062 | 6,694 | $41,194 | 5.1% |
| Williamsburg County | 30,282 | $1,067 million | $35,223 | 6,318 | $49,566 | 6.4% |
| Marion County | 28,664 | $901 million | $31,424 | 7,064 | $46,706 | 6.0% |
| Dillon County | 27,862 | $1,039 million | $37,289 | 9,504 | $41,958 | 5.1% |
| Edgefield County | 27,476 | $894 million | $32,534 | 6,014 | $52,678 | 3.2% |
| Union County | 26,885 | $905 million | $33,656 | 7,424 | $48,510 | 6.0% |
| Marlboro County | 25,975 | $965 million | $37,160 | 5,591 | $53,857 | 6.3% |
| Abbeville County | 24,420 | $846 million | $34,648 | 5,772 | $49,349 | 4.6% |
| Fairfield County | 20,550 | $1,423 million | $69,222 | 6,051 | $62,001 | 5.0% |
| Barnwell County | 20,521 | $701 million | $34,153 | 4,864 | $43,379 | 5.1% |
| Saluda County | 19,131 | $643 million | $33,619 | 4,733 | $46,825 | 3.2% |
| Hampton County | 18,254 | $692 million | $37,933 | 4,867 | $50,768 | 4.0% |
| Lee County | 16,166 | $507 million | $31,381 | 3,667 | $49,604 | 5.8% |
| Calhoun County | 14,182 | $911 million | $64,228 | 4,558 | $60,842 | 3.9% |
| Bamberg County | 13,042 | $510 million | $39,136 | 3,556 | $46,983 | 4.7% |
| McCormick County | 9,760 | $331 million | $33,883 | 2,064 | $42,438 | 5.2% |
| Allendale County | 7,661 | $398 million | $51,986 | 2,515 | $54,102 | 6.0% |
26,885 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$905 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
6.0% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
7,424 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $48,510 (BLS QCEW).