Economy

Service industries, from trade to tourism, provide jobs for the vast majority of the state's workers. Most service industries are concentrated in the state's metropolitan areas. But manufacturing remains one of South Carolina's most important economic activities. Agriculture, though it has declined in relative value, remains significant.

Retail trade and personal services benefit greatly from tourism. The beaches, golf courses, and fashionable resort hotels of Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head attract visitors throughout the year. Tourism in Charleston focuses on the city's heritage and architecture.

Community, business, and personal services forms the leading source of employment in the state. These services consist of a variety of establishments, including engineering firms, private health care, and repair shops. South Carolina is also the home of several military bases.

Chemicals are South Carolina's leading manufacturing product. The leading sectors of the state's chemical industry are dyes, medicinal drugs, plastic resins, and synthetic fibers. Transportation equipment is the state's second-leading manufacture. BMW, one of Europe's top automakers, has a plant in Greer.

Other leading manufacturing products in South Carolina include plastics and rubber products, especially plastic sheets and rubber tires, and machinery. South Carolina also ranks among the leading textile-producing states.

Farms occupy about 25 per cent of the state's land. Livestock products generally account for more than half of the value of all farm income. Broilers (young, tender chickens) are the state's most valuable farm product. Crops provide most of the rest of South Carolina's agricultural income. Greenhouse and nursery plants are the most valuable crop in South Carolina. Soybeans, tobacco, corn, and cotton are the chief cash crops.

Crushed stone and portland cement are South Carolina's most valuable mined products. The state is also a leading producer of fire clays, kaolin, masonry cement, mica, and vermiculite.

Shrimp is South Carolina's most valuable fish catch. Other catches include clams, crabs, oysters, and snapper.

Fishing is locally important along the South Carolina coast, especially in Charleston County. The catch, much of which is sold fresh, consists chiefly of shrimp, blue crabs, and oysters.

South Carolina has a well-developed transportation system. Multilane highways, including six Interstates, crisscross the state, focusing on the major cities. Airlines serve airports in or near the larger cities.

Charleston, a major East Coast port, is the home of many large shipping companies. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway extends the length of the coast, providing sheltered passage for barges and pleasure craft.