Clemson study shows some S.C. counties fared better during downturns
February 22, 2012
CLEMSON, SC – February 22, 2012 – South Carolina has weathered tworecessions since the new millennium. A detailed economic study of thePalmetto Sate between 2000 and 2008 by Clemson University EconomicDevelopment shows clearly that certain counties and regions fared betterthan others.
For example, 28 counties across the state saw positive populationgrowth between 2000 and 2008, meaning 18 counties saw a decline, thestudy shows. Generally, there was outmigration from counties with dimemployment prospects.
The study created a “Prosperity Index” that ranks counties based onreal per capita personal income. Beaufort County ranked No. 1 on theindex, with Berkeley and Charleston counties tied at No. 2. Union Countyranked No. 46 on the index.
In the summer of 2011, Clemson’s Office of Economic Developmentcommissioned a study of South Carolina prosperity. Led by Bruce Yandle,professor of economics emeritus at Clemson, the study team included JodyLipford, an economics professor at Presbyterian College in Clinton, andTate Watkins, an independent economic consultant in Washington. Click here to read the report.
The study shows that while the greatest employment gains between 2000and 2008 generally were in coastal counties, gains in the Upstate andcentral Midlands were not far behind.
For population growth, the spread of the 28 counties that saw growthis fairly even, with some counties in the Upstate, the Midlands and thecoast seeing increases in residents of at least 10 percent.
But the report does provide a reality check. Economic hardship, orprosperity in reverse, provides another lens through which to view thecounty economies.
The study created an index for the state’s 46 counties by averagingtheir share of population living below the poverty line, share ofpopulation less than five years old, unemployment rate and share ofadult population with less than a ninth-grade education.
Counties with the greatest hardship had an index of less than 10:Allendale, Bamberg, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Dillon, Lee, Marlboro,Marion, Orangeburg and Williamsburg.
Counties with the least hardship had an index greater than 40:Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Calhoun, Dorchester, Lexington andKershaw.
“South Carolina’s 46 counties, always in transition, form a richtapestry of diverse economic, demographic and developmental traits,”Yandle said. “The state’s economy is spurred by population growth,investments in physical and human capital and connections to a growingglobal economy.”
Clemson University Office of Economic Development
TheClemson University Office of Economic Development works with public andprivate partners to create jobs in South Carolina in keeping with theuniversity’s teaching, research and outreach missions. Clemson followsthe land-grant university model of using research and outreach to launchinnovation campuses across the state that support major economicsectors and create new ones, including agribusiness, advanced materials,automotive, biotechnology and wind energy. The Economic Developmentteam works closely with Clemson’s Office of Research; Office ofTechnology Transfer; and Public Services and Agriculture research,extension and regulatory programs to apply university research to SouthCarolina industries.
