Market rankings · South Carolina
Real estate businesses in South Carolina
Markets across South Carolina ranked by the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 9,045
- 594 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 5,839
- +26.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $31.3B
- On rent and homeowner costs
- Listings per 10k households
- 42.7
- 11% above the U.S.
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 80
- 20% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #45 of 51
- Market score 35 · Lower middle
A site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings around any address in South Carolina by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
As of September 2026, map listings count 9,045 real estate businesses in South Carolina. Chain locations make up 7% of them, against 6% across the U.S. That is 42.7 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.
At $14,791 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in South Carolina spend about $31.3B a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 20% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.
Official counts show 5,839 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in South Carolina in 2023, up 26.8% from 2019. That is one for every 363 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 15.8% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 59 SBA-backed loans worth $15.7M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in South Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina ranks #45 for real estate businesses, with a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Spartanburg metro area scores highest (65). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Newberry area scores highest (75).
Every market in South Carolina for real estate businesses
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Carolina, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spartanburg, SC | 65 | 365 | 25.5 | 129 | +14.3% | #59 of 387 |
| 2Sumter, SC | 54 | 99 | 24.1 | 130 | −0.3% | #143 of 387 |
| 3Florence, SC | 51 | 201 | 25.6 | 123 | +0.9% | #175 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 47 | 838 | 36.1 | 94 | +4.7% | #218 of 387 |
| 4Columbia, SC | 40 | 1,437 | 42.3 | 80 | +6.0% | #282 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 39 | 4,825 | 44.8 | 83 | +10.1% | #294 of 387 |
| 5Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 38 | 1,626 | 42.4 | 81 | +9.0% | #302 of 387 |
| 6Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 34 | 2,046 | 60.9 | 61 | +10.7% | #350 of 387 |
| 7Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 32 | 703 | 73.7 | 51 | +12.0% | #363 of 387 |
| 8Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 28 | 1,215 | 76.5 | 43 | +20.9% | #378 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Newberry, SC | 75 | 14 | 9.1 | 345 | +4.8% | #28 of 536 |
| 2Gaffney, SC | 68 | 26 | 11.8 | 255 | +3.7% | #60 of 536 |
| 3Orangeburg, SC | 57 | 43 | 13.0 | 226 | −0.9% | #161 of 536 |
| 4Greenwood, SC | 44 | 90 | 23.9 | 130 | +1.7% | #337 of 536 |
| 5Seneca, SC | 41 | 104 | 30.1 | 110 | +6.3% | #380 of 536 |
| 6Murrells Inlet, SC | 34 | 150 | 55.3 | 62 | +3.8% | #468 of 536 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Saluda County, SC | 77 | 6 | 7.8 | 396 | +4.1% | #65 of 2,229 |
| 2Abbeville County, SC | 77 | 8 | 8.2 | 388 | +2.3% | #67 of 2,229 |
| 3Edgefield County, SC | 77 | 15 | 15.4 | 215 | +16.1% | #73 of 2,229 |
| 4Laurens County, SC | 76 | 30 | 11.1 | 278 | +6.2% | #88 of 2,229 |
| 5Newberry County, SC | 72 | 14 | 9.1 | 345 | +4.8% | #156 of 2,229 |
| 6Chester County, SC | 69 | 14 | 10.6 | 283 | +2.2% | #227 of 2,229 |
| 7Jasper County, SC | 69 | 18 | 13.7 | 239 | +32.2% | #234 of 2,229 |
| 8Kershaw County, SC | 69 | 46 | 17.1 | 195 | +11.6% | #242 of 2,229 |
| 9Chesterfield County, SC | 66 | 24 | 13.7 | 218 | +3.4% | #343 of 2,229 |
| 10Cherokee County, SC | 65 | 26 | 11.8 | 255 | +3.7% | #369 of 2,229 |
| 11Darlington County, SC | 60 | 33 | 12.9 | 237 | +0.1% | #563 of 2,229 |
| 12Union County, SC | 59 | 7 | 6.0 | 476 | −1.4% | #585 of 2,229 |
| 13Marion County, SC | 59 | 8 | 6.6 | 415 | −2.9% | #586 of 2,229 |
| 14Williamsburg County, SC | 56 | 10 | 8.1 | 352 | −4.0% | #744 of 2,229 |
| 15Fairfield County, SC | 56 | 12 | 13.4 | 227 | −2.6% | #756 of 2,229 |
| 16Orangeburg County, SC | 54 | 43 | 13.0 | 226 | −0.9% | #855 of 2,229 |
| 17Lancaster County, SC | 54 | 108 | 26.9 | 133 | +18.3% | #877 of 2,229 |
| 18Anderson County, SC | 53 | 209 | 24.9 | 133 | +7.7% | #939 of 2,229 |
| 19Pickens County, SC | 52 | 113 | 21.6 | 150 | +5.7% | #988 of 2,229 |
| 20Spartanburg County, SC | 52 | 358 | 27.2 | 122 | +15.6% | #1,002 of 2,229 |
| 21Aiken County, SC | 52 | 219 | 31.3 | 109 | +7.3% | #1,009 of 2,229 |
| 22Dillon County, SC | 49 | 11 | 10.2 | 286 | −2.9% | #1,111 of 2,229 |
| 23Hampton County, SC | 48 | 6 | 8.3 | 345 | −1.9% | #1,158 of 2,229 |
| 24Clarendon County, SC | 47 | 25 | 20.2 | 149 | +0.7% | #1,219 of 2,229 |
| 25Berkeley County, SC | 47 | 305 | 32.5 | 110 | +18.7% | #1,245 of 2,229 |
Show all 46 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Sumter County, SC | 44 | 99 | 24.1 | 130 | −0.3% | #1,401 of 2,229 |
| 27York County, SC | 43 | 416 | 36.6 | 103 | +8.1% | #1,475 of 2,229 |
| 28Colleton County, SC | 42 | 37 | 22.5 | 137 | +2.2% | #1,510 of 2,229 |
| 29Dorchester County, SC | 42 | 253 | 40.0 | 89 | +10.1% | #1,539 of 2,229 |
| 30Oconee County, SC | 40 | 104 | 30.1 | 110 | +6.3% | #1,616 of 2,229 |
| 31Lexington County, SC | 39 | 562 | 46.1 | 76 | +7.7% | #1,704 of 2,229 |
| 32Marlboro County, SC | 37 | 12 | 12.3 | 221 | −3.8% | #1,762 of 2,229 |
| 33Greenwood County, SC | 36 | 82 | 29.4 | 105 | +1.5% | #1,839 of 2,229 |
| 34Florence County, SC | 36 | 168 | 31.8 | 101 | +1.2% | #1,842 of 2,229 |
| 35Greenville County, SC | 35 | 1,274 | 57.8 | 62 | +10.6% | #1,897 of 2,229 |
| 36Richland County, SC | 34 | 807 | 48.0 | 70 | +4.6% | #1,942 of 2,229 |
| 37Beaufort County, SC | 34 | 685 | 83.2 | 46 | +8.9% | #1,954 of 2,229 |
| 38Charleston County, SC | 33 | 1,488 | 83.1 | 46 | +6.4% | #1,992 of 2,229 |
| 39Horry County, SC | 32 | 1,215 | 76.5 | 43 | +20.9% | #2,028 of 2,229 |
| 40Georgetown County, SC | 29 | 150 | 55.3 | 62 | +3.8% | #2,105 of 2,229 |
| Barnwell County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 4.9 | 602 | +0.4% | |
| Lee County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 4.7 | 589 | −5.0% | |
| Calhoun County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 6.5 | 488 | +0.6% | |
| Bamberg County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | 437 | −3.5% | |
| McCormick County, SC | Not scored | 8 | 19.1 | 160 | +7.3% | |
| Allendale County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 9.3 | 296 | −7.4% |
Markets with fewer than 5 real estate businesses on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in South Carolina?
South Carolina has 9,045 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 594 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 5,839 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 26.8% from 2019. Official counts list 27,437 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in South Carolina spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $31.3B a year, or $14,791 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 9,045 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 20% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,117,989 households in South Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Carolina compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
South Carolina has 42.7 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 80, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, South Carolina would have about 7,232, against 9,045 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 363 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
Which market in South Carolina has the highest market score for real estate businesses?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Spartanburg metro area scores highest, at 65 (upper middle). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Newberry area scores highest, at 75 (high). Among 40 scored counties in South Carolina, Saluda County scores highest, at 77 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. South Carolina scores 35 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #45 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in South Carolina. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
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Top markets for real estate businesses across the U.S. · All business types in South Carolina
Related business types in South Carolina
- Real estate agents and brokers7,115 listings
- Property management765 listings
- Mortgage brokers and lenders1,031 listings
- Home inspectors134 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in South Carolina?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.