Indeed Ranks South Carolina Metros Low for Workers
Indeed's annual report ranks 228 U.S. metro areas on job opportunity, pay, and job quality, placing most South Carolina metros near the bottom.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Employment
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Indeed published its annual ranking of U.S. metro areas as the best cities for workers, scoring 228 metros with populations of 200,000 or more across six categories. Nearly every South Carolina metro area ranked low nationally in the report.
Why it matters
The ranking uses 40 metrics to compare job opportunity, compensation, job quality and security, career mobility, work-life flexibility, and economic opportunity across metros. For South Carolina workers, the placements highlight gaps between the state's metro areas and stronger labor markets nationwide.
Indeed's ranking of 228 U.S. metro areas places Charleston-North Charleston at No. 75 and Spartanburg at No. 213, with Spartanburg ranking 218th in job quality and security. The extraction does not detail the specific metrics driving each metro's placement.
The players
Indeed
Indeed is a global online job site and hiring platform that publishes labor market research and rankings.
Laura Ullrich
Laura Ullrich is an economist with Indeed's Hiring Lab who led the research behind the ranking.
The details
Indeed's Hiring Lab, led by economist Laura Ullrich, scored each metro area across six categories: job opportunity, compensation, job quality and security, career mobility and dynamism, work-life and flexibility, and economic opportunity. Boston-Cambridge-Newton ranked first nationally, followed by the Washington, D.C., metro and Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont.
Timeline
November 5, 2026: Indeed published its annual best-cities-for-workers report.
Labor Market Ranking Series
Indeed's Hiring Lab ranking series compares 228 U.S. metros on a composite of 40 metrics, and this year's edition places most South Carolina metros in the lower half of the national list. The series offers a recurring benchmark for how metro labor markets rank against one another over time.
Workers in South Carolina metros ranked in the lower portion of this list may find fewer job opportunities or lower job quality and security than in higher-ranked areas. The ranking can inform decisions about where to search for work or relocate.
The takeaway
Metro rankings combine many factors, so a lower placement reflects overall labor market conditions rather than a single weakness. Workers weighing a move or job search can compare the categories most relevant to their own priorities.
Further reading
For broader context on hiring and job conditions, explore Employment coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MyrtleBeachOnline.
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