More than 800,000 people (and thousands of businesses) contribute to the Columbia metro area’s $58 billion economy. But have you ever wondered about the Capital City’s heaviest hitters?
Consider this Columbia Business 101 — your guide to our region’s five key industries and major employers.
Note: When we say Columbia metro area, that refers to the Central SC Region that includes Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, and Richland counties.
The key industries
Five key industries represent ~55% of the Columbia metro area’s economy, based on data from Central SC. We’ve listed them in order of employment numbers.
Health care and social assistance | 14%
Fun fact: Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC — offering services like insurance, customer support, and claims processing — employs over 10,000 people alone and is the top private employer in the region.
Prisma Health Midlands + Lexington Medical Center collectively employ over 21,000 people. The services in these industries are delivered by trained professionals and include establishments providing medical care, health care, and social assistance.
Retail trade | 12%
Under the retail bracket of employers, Walmart came out on top, employing almost 6,000 people. Amazon followed, with over 2,600 employees, and Samsung + UPS, both employ more than 1,200 people.
Manufacturing | 10%
Manufacturing in the Midlands comes in many different forms, but at the top of the list are Nephron Pharmaceuticals, Michelin, Trane, (which makes metal products + machinery), and Samsung. Local players such as Kraft Heinz, and Westinghouse Electric Company, also carry a significant employment presence.
Accommodation and Food Services | 9%
Fun fact: According to the latest tourism data from Experience Columbia, visitation increased from 15.8 million in 2022 to 16.4 million in 2023, and visitor spending increased 6.5% over the previous year to $1.8 billion.
Columbia attracts visitors for many reasons, including leisure, sports, and conferences. In 2023, special events resulted in over 25,000 hotel bookings.
The economic impact of tourism in our region is substantial and the total economic impact in 2023 sustained over 23,500 jobs and generated $137 million in state and local tax revenue.
The top food and beverage employers in the Midlands region are Dak Americans LLC, a company that creates plastic materials and resins, Mark Anthony Brewing, a brewer and producer of hard seltzers, and Devro Inc., a company that creates edible casings for meat packaging.
Public administration | 8%
The Public Administration sector consists of establishments of federal, state, and local government agencies that oversee and manage public programs. In total, the state of SC employs over 32,000 people in the Midlands, the top two being the SC Department of Corrections and the SC Department of Social Services.
The major players
Now that we’ve established the major industries, we bet you’re curious about some specific names. Whether you’re job hunting (or just “casually prospecting”), here are five major employers — all that employ more than 5,000 workers on average.
State of South Carolina
32,085 employees | Public sector | Search jobs
With Cola being the capital of SC, the city’s largest employer is the state — which helps drive tourism, the economy, business, and local government agencies.
Prisma Health Midlands
15,000 employees | Healthcare | Search jobs
In 2017, Greenville Health + Palmetto Health merged to become Prisma — and became the second-largest employer in Richland County and one of the largest healthcare providers in the region.
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
10,998 employees | Insurance services | Search jobs
BCBSSC is the only SC-owned + operated health insurance carrier in the state and has a family of companies and affiliates also offering services to South Carolinians.
Lexington Medical Center
6,557 employees | Healthcare | Search jobs
The hospital in West Columbia delivers more than 4,000 babies each year and performs more than 25,000 surgeries. It was also named the No. 3 hospital in SC and is recognized as the No. 1 hospital in the Midlands, according to U.S. News and World Report.
University of South Carolina
6,456 employees | Educational services | Search jobs
With its campus spread throughout the city, USC is the heartbeat of Columbia. The over 200-year-old university is the largest in SC and has been ranked as the nation’s number one first-year student experience. The university also boasts the country’s number-one ranking for international business via the Darla Moore School of Business.
New jobs in the Midlands
2024 was a transformative year for the Richland County economy. The Richland County Economic Development Office (RCEDO) announced capital investments have grown by $41 million, creating 223 jobs in the process and serving as an opportunity to highlight the companies and industries that thrive in the area.
Scout Motors | Automotive | Volkswagon entered the electric off-road vehicle arena under the Scout Motors nameplate and will build those cars at a new facility under construction in Blythewood. When completed, the new center will span 1.3 million sqft and create 4,000 new jobs.
The Ritedose Corporation | Medicine | This healthcare manufacturer and distributor is building a 225,000-sqft campus in Richland County as part of a multi-phase expansion to keep up with demand.
US Brick | Manufacturing | Last year, this SC-founded business invested $5.5 million to modernize and expand its northeast Columbia facility, hoping to increase its production capacity.
TMC Transportation | Trucking | TMC has been working on a new terminal in Columbia with plans to open later this year. The flatbed company hopes the new space will help expand its presence in the Southeast.
Integer Technology | Engineering | This research and engineering company works with its partners like businesses, universities, and government agencies to provide technology solutions. Last year, it was recognized as SC’s fastest-growing company.
This information is derived from the most recent data published by Central SC.
