Florence County is a great place to grow a business. The diverse economic base, location, infrastructure, skilled workforce and strong business climate position it firmly among the most competitive counties in the country. 

Florence County is the hub of the dynamic northeastern region of South Carolina.

The estimated population within a 60-mile radius is 1.02 million.

The prime working-age component of the region’s population is in excess of 278,000 people and is projected to grow to nearly 283,000 people by 2009.

The cost of living is 93.5% of the national average.

1980, 110,163
1990, 114,344
2000, 125,761
2005 (estimate), 132,356
2008 (projected), 133,870
2010 (projected), 135,550

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

2nd Quarter 2006
National average: 100
Florence MSA Composite, 93.5
Groceries, 104.4
Health care, 95.5
Housing, 79.9
Misc. goods & services, 97.0
Transportation, 99.9
Utilities, 97.5

Source: ACCRA Cost of Living Index

Company Product/Service No. of Employees
Honda All-terrain vehicles, of South Carolina Mfg, Inc. personal watercraft 1,625
Nan Ya Plastics Polyester staple Corp. America fiber & filament 860
ESAB Welding & Welding equipment, Cutting Products cutting machines 650
Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. Kraft linerboard 550
Nucor Corp. Steel joists, Vulcraft Division girders, & decking 400
GE Medical Systems MRI manufacturer 372
Roche Carolina Inc. Pharmaceuticals 308

Company/Product or Service/No. of Employees

McLeod Regional Medical Center/Hospital system/3,151
Florence School District 1/Education/1,718
Carolinas Hospital System/Hospital system/1,640
Palmetto Government Benefits Administrators/TRICARE (BlueCross BlueShield)/Insurance/1,600
Washington Mutual Inc./Mortgage services/1,150

Job/County Avg. # of Employees/County Yearly Avg. Wage/S.C. Avg. Wage

Accommodation & food services/5,762/$13,437/$14,820
Administrative & support and waste management and remediation services/2,554/$20,337/$29,094
Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting/245/$29,643/$28,314
Arts, entertainment, & recreation/553/$19,044/$18,358
Construction/2,295/$31,413/$37,695
Educational services/4,078/$28,341/$33,286
Finance & insurance/3,170/$37,587/$45,726
Health care & social assistance/12,035/$36,042/$35,556
Information/923/$36,345/$43,062
Management of companies & enterprises/331/$37,104/$45,268
Manufacturing/9,249/$43,911/$42,108
Other services (not including public administration)/1,635/$23,442/$25,666
Professional, scientific & tech services/1,783/$46,155/$47,926
Public administration/2,763/$31,050/$31,438
Real estate & rental/leasing/834/$31,044/$31,716
Retail trade/8,444/$22,503/$23,802
Transportation & warehousing/1,261/$34,233/$34,984
Utilities/35/$54,612/$61,770
Wholesale trade/2,764/$44,145/$46,788

*Source: South Carolina Employment Security Commission Workforce Indicators, 2005

Population Group/High School Graduate/Some College or Associate’s Degree/Bachelor’s Degree or Higher

Ages 18-24/33.9%/36.3%/4.5%
Ages 25 and over/32.5%/23%/20.2%

*Source: American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau

Florence County Labor Union Data (as of 1st Quarter 2005)
Florence County total union membership, 620
Florence County union membership as a percentage of total county employment 0.09%**
**Represents only manufacturing union employees

Males in labor force, 47%
Females in labor force, 53%
Population working outside the county, 12.3%
Average commute time to work, 18.9 minutes
Average labor force
2005-07: 63,800
Average unemployed workers
2005-07: 4,843
Average unemployment rate
2005-07: 7.56%
Based on Florence County’s labor force and number of unemployed workers from June 2005 to June 2007, the labor force grew by 360 workers, while the number of unemployed workers decreased by 870 workers, showing an increase of 1,230 employed workers.

Sources:
South Carolina Employment Security Commission, South Carolina Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau

June 2006June 2007
Labor force
64,26064,620
Number of unemployed
4,8403,970
Unemployment rate
7.5%6.1%

Atlanta, 267
Charleston, 98
Charlotte, N.C., 93
Columbia, 74
Jacksonville, Fla., 287
Knoxville, Tenn., 266
Raleigh, N.C., 149

1990, $21,491
2000, $31,571
2006, $48,000

2006
Florence County $48,000
Pee Dee region $42,250
South Carolina $52,900
Pee Dee region: Northeastern South Carolina, made up of six counties – Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion and Marlboro

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

30-Mile Radius
Executive, managerial, professional, 23,235
Farming, fishing, forestry, 4,835
Machine operators, assemblers and transportation, 30,579
Private household and service occupations, 16,014
Production, craft, repair occupations, 16,241
Technical, sales, administrative support, 32,808

Florence County
www.florenceco.org
Florence County Economic Development Partnership
www.fcedp.com
Florence County Progress Inc.
www.fcprogress.com
Florence Downtown Development Corp.
www.fddconline.com
Greater FlorenceChamber of Commerce
www.flochamber.com
Lake City Chamber of Commerce
www.lakecitysc.org
North Eastern Strategic Alliance
www.scbusinesscorner.com
Palmetto Economic Development Corp.
www.scpowerteam.com
Pee Dee Tourism/CVB www.peedeetourism.com
South Carolina Department of Commerce www.sccommerce.com

Airport
Florence Regional Airport www.florencescairport.com

Waterway
Port of Charleston
Port of Georgetown

Rail
Freight, CSX
Passenger, Amtrak

Florence County Economic Development Partnership
P.O. Box 100549
1951 Pisgah Road
Florence, SC 29502
Phone: (843) 676-8796,
(800) 984-0682
Fax: (843) 676-8799
www.fcedp.com

SOURCE:
www.fcedp.com