Charleston led South Carolina counties in 2025 business applications per 10,000 residents, followed by Richland, Jasper, Berkeley, and Calhoun.
Charleston led South Carolina in 2025 business applications per 10,000 residents at 283.8, ahead of Richland at 199.0 and Jasper at 197.2. The ranking measures EIN application activity after adjusting for population; it does not measure confirmed business openings or business success.
The top five illustrate why the rate belongs beside the underlying counts. Charleston and Richland combined high rates with 12,378 and 8,654 applications, while Jasper, Berkeley, and Calhoun ranked highly on the population-adjusted measure with smaller county populations and filing totals.
No. 1
Charleston ranked first at 283.8 applications per 10,000 residents, the highest rate in the state. It also had the largest raw total, with 12,378 applications, up 13.8% from 2024.
No. 2
Richland ranked second at 199.0 applications per 10,000 residents. Its 8,654 applications were the state’s third-largest county total and rose 10.6% from 2024.
No. 3
Jasper ranked third at 197.2 applications per 10,000 residents, nearly matching Richland’s rate. The county recorded 760 applications, up 14.8% from 2024.
No. 4
Berkeley ranked fourth at 190.7 applications per 10,000 residents, with 5,239 applications in 2025. Its filing total increased 12.0% from 2024.
No. 5
Calhoun ranked fifth at 179.7 applications per 10,000 residents. It had the smallest population among the top five, 14,188 residents, and recorded 255 applications, up 17.0% from 2024.
Statewide benchmark
Across all 46 counties, this is the population-weighted rate, not the arithmetic average of county rates.
Sort the table by any column to compare application volume, population-adjusted application rates, and year-over-year filing changes.
| Rank | County | Applications per 10K | 2025 applications | 2025 population | Change vs. 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston | 283.8 | 12,378 | 436,200 | +13.8% |
| 2 | Richland | 199.0 | 8,654 | 434,956 | +10.6% |
| 3 | Jasper | 197.2 | 760 | 38,533 | +14.8% |
| 4 | Berkeley | 190.7 | 5,239 | 274,666 | +12.0% |
| 5 | Calhoun | 179.7 | 255 | 14,188 | +17.0% |
| 6 | Greenville | 178.5 | 10,407 | 583,125 | +6.2% |
| 7 | Colleton | 173.2 | 682 | 39,382 | +12.0% |
| 8 | Dorchester | 170.5 | 3,042 | 178,397 | +7.0% |
| 9 | Marion | 167.8 | 474 | 28,242 | +5.3% |
| 10 | Orangeburg | 166.9 | 1,388 | 83,177 | -1.7% |
| 11 | Lee | 166.6 | 262 | 15,730 | +12.9% |
| 12 | Williamsburg | 163.5 | 485 | 29,662 | +4.1% |
| 13 | Beaufort | 162.4 | 3,321 | 204,433 | +0.3% |
| 14 | Clarendon | 162.4 | 504 | 31,043 | +18.9% |
| 15 | Horry | 162.0 | 6,926 | 427,551 | +7.1% |
| 16 | Kershaw | 161.7 | 1,183 | 73,166 | +15.9% |
| 17 | Florence | 161.2 | 2,233 | 138,504 | +6.3% |
| 18 | Spartanburg | 157.4 | 5,994 | 380,857 | +0.9% |
| 19 | Sumter | 155.9 | 1,638 | 105,067 | +12.3% |
| 20 | Fairfield | 154.4 | 314 | 20,340 | +8.7% |
| 21 | York | 153.4 | 4,709 | 306,887 | +4.1% |
| 22 | Lexington | 152.6 | 4,846 | 317,588 | +10.5% |
| 23 | Georgetown | 152.5 | 1,005 | 65,912 | +2.7% |
| 24 | Bamberg | 148.5 | 190 | 12,796 | -3.6% |
| 25 | Allendale | 146.8 | 108 | 7,355 | -11.5% |
| 26 | Chester | 144.8 | 478 | 33,001 | +14.9% |
| 27 | Aiken | 144.1 | 2,616 | 181,515 | +11.0% |
| 28 | Hampton | 140.9 | 256 | 18,174 | +0.4% |
| 29 | Edgefield | 137.9 | 411 | 29,808 | +13.9% |
| 30 | Anderson | 136.2 | 2,996 | 219,930 | +19.2% |
| 31 | Lancaster | 135.7 | 1,551 | 114,296 | +12.1% |
| 32 | Darlington | 132.0 | 830 | 62,888 | +2.5% |
| 33 | Newberry | 128.2 | 507 | 39,561 | +13.9% |
| 34 | Pickens | 125.6 | 1,749 | 139,198 | +24.0% |
| 35 | Laurens | 125.4 | 901 | 71,848 | +15.1% |
| 36 | Dillon | 122.7 | 337 | 27,458 | +2.7% |
| 37 | Oconee | 121.0 | 1,014 | 83,775 | +7.3% |
| 38 | Abbeville | 119.2 | 296 | 24,836 | +12.1% |
| 39 | Cherokee | 117.9 | 687 | 58,275 | +21.6% |
| 40 | Saluda | 116.9 | 230 | 19,680 | +8.5% |
| 41 | Barnwell | 116.7 | 241 | 20,653 | -2.4% |
| 42 | Chesterfield | 116.0 | 519 | 44,740 | +18.2% |
| 43 | Greenwood | 115.8 | 815 | 70,379 | +13.0% |
| 44 | Marlboro | 111.4 | 284 | 25,488 | +15.9% |
| 45 | McCormick | 109.6 | 112 | 10,215 | -0.9% |
| 46 | Union | 103.0 | 276 | 26,799 | +4.5% |
The table covers all 46 South Carolina counties. County rows sum to 94,103 applications in 2025, compared with 94,104 in the statewide BFS monthly series; for 2024, they sum to 86,360 compared with 86,364 statewide. The published source values are shown without adjustment.
We divided each county’s 2025 Census Business Formation Statistics applications by its Census Vintage 2025 July 1 resident population estimate and multiplied by 10,000. Rankings use the full-precision ratio before the displayed rate is rounded to one decimal. Exact ties receive the same rank, and the next rank skips the tied positions.
Business applications are applications for Employer Identification Numbers, not confirmed business openings or evidence that a business succeeded. The published county application rows sum to one fewer application than the unadjusted 2025 South Carolina total in the BFS monthly series; both published values are preserved.