What percent of jobs in South Carolina are held by immigrants?
Data updated May 22, 2024
About 6.9% in 2022. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, including those who became US citizens, are authorized to come to the US (e.g., for work), or are undocumented residents.
Showing data for
In 2022
1 in 15
employed workers were immigrants
In 2022
6.9%
of employed workers were immigrants
While immigrants hold 6.9% of jobs, they make up 6.0% of the total working-age population in the state. This means they are employed at a higher rate than expected. The working-age population is defined as the total number of people aged 16 and above.
Immigrant percentage of employed workers in South Carolina
Immigrant participation in the workforce varies across industries. In South Carolina, the largest gap between foreign-born and native-born workers was in the construction industry, where 14.6% of the foreign-born working-age population were employed compared to 6.0% of native-born workers.
Percentage of employed population in South Carolina, by sector of employment (2022)
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The labor force participation rate — the percentage of the working-age population working or actively seeking work — for immigrants in South Carolina was 67.4%, higher than the 59.3% rate for the native-born population. This shows that immigrants were seeking work at a higher rate than the native-born population in the state.
