South Carolina is experiencing rapid population growth amid an increase in immigration
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
South Carolina is the fastest growing state in the nation, according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau.
Between July 2024 and July 2025, the population of the Palmetto State increased by 1.5%, outpacing all other states in the country. State officials attribute the rapid growth to a large influx of local residents—Americans choosing to leave other states in favor of South Carolina’s climate, economy and cost of living.
“From July 2024 to July 2025, South Carolina received 66,622 immigrants, which means 66,622 more people moved into the state than left it,” reports the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW).
SAN FRANCISCO HAS NOT RECOVERED FROM DEATH BASED ON: REPORT
(Charleston, South Carolina)
Although the state has seen consistent growth over the past five years, DEW noted that the most significant one-year increase occurred between July 2022 and July 2023, when the state added more than 100,000 new residents.
Despite the country’s growth, growth is highly concentrated. Research shows that more than 80% of South Carolina’s population since the 2020 census occurred in just 10 counties: Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Lancaster, Lexington, Greenville, Horry, Richland, Spartanburg, and York.
Economists point to a strong, diversified economy as the most important factor. The rapidly expanding health and technology sectors in urban areas like Columbia and Greenville have turned the state into a prime destination for workers seeking opportunity outside of the more expensive coastal powerhouses.
TEXAS EMERGES AS TOP PLACE FOR COMPANIES LEAVING BLUE STATES
The South Carolina State House in Columbia, South Carolina, on May 16, 2023. (LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)
South Carolina’s growth reflects a national trend in which taxpayers are fleeing high-tax, high-cost states.
Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson recently told FOX Business that the Sunshine State continues to lead the nation in “revenue migration,” bringing in more than $4 million in wealth every hour.
“States like New York, Illinois, and California are losing more than $1 million an hour,” Wilson told FOX Business, describing the exodus of money from Democratic-led states as “human death.”
THE HOCHUL FROM NEW YORK DROVE ME TO FLORIDA — NOW BEGGING ME TO COME BACK. IT DOESN’T HAPPEN
President and CEO Mark Wilson recently told FOX Business that the Sunshine State “leads the nation by a country mile [in income migration].” “States like New York, Illinois, and California are losing over $1 million an hour,” Wilson told FOX Business in an interview. (Nikolas Lanum/Fox News Digital)
New data released this month by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF), which analyzed the latest available IRS tax filing data from 2022, underscores this trend. The study found that while Texas and Florida are in the top target areas, the overall shift of residents from high-tax states to tax-friendly states—including North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee—shows no signs of slowing.
“As states continue to diverge on tax policy, our ‘laboratories of democracy’ are increasingly producing significantly different research,” said NTUF Director of State Policy Andrew Wilford. “IRS transportation data is one of the most direct and reliable forms of feedback available to taxpayers.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
