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South Carolina State Facts

Autos Drive South Carolina Forward

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Economic Insights

See Auto Industry Impacts at the National, State, and Congressional District levels.

Industry Impact

154.9K
154.9 Thousand total auto jobs in South Carolina
4.97%
4.97% depend on the auto industry for jobs
$18.39B
$18.39 Billion gross state product
5.70%
5.70% state GDP
$10.08B
Total Labor Income Annually
$10.05B
Total Car Sales in 2024
223K
Total New Cars Sold in 2024
Industry Impact and Tax Revenue: Multi-industry contribution analysis of the economic impact of automotive manufacturing, selling, repairing, renting, and additional maintenance modeled using IMPLAN economic analysis data software, 2023 data year; compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided by S&P Global Mobility, sales figures represent new vehicle registrations between January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024. New vehicle sales revenue derived from NADA Data.

Tax Revenue

$1.18B
in state tax revenue
7.60%
% of state tax revenue
$502.47M
new vehicle sales taxes
$293.95M
used vehicle sales taxes
$145.51M
sales tax on auto parts and services
$1.37B
vehicle use taxes (including gas taxes), licenses and fees
$76.77M
corporate profits tax
$882.16M
federal income taxes

Registrations

5.46M
Registered

By Body Style

  • Cars 1,798,043 (32.90%)
  • UVs 2,005,953 (36.70%)
  • Pickups 1,261,606 (23.10%)
  • Vans/Minivans 261,927 (4.80%)

By Powertrain

  • ICE / Hybrid 5,421,944 (99.30%)
  • Electric 25,849 (0.50%)
  • Plug-In Hybrid 10,786 (0.20%)
  • Fuel Cell 2 (0.00%)
The South Carolina average age of vehicles is 13.7 years; The national average is 12.2.
Registration figures compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided by S&P Global Mobility as of December 31, 2024; new purchase figures compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided by S&P Global Mobility representing new vehicle registrations between January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024.

New Purchases

223K
Vehicles Sold

By Body Style

  • Cars 40,077 (18.00%)
  • UVs 129,757 (58.20%)
  • Pickups 45,298 (20.30%)
  • Vans/Minivans 7,856 (3.50%)

By Powertrain

  • ICE / Hybrid 213,362 (95.70%)
  • Electric 7,294 (3.30%)
  • Plug-In Hybrid 2,373 (1.10%)

Auto-related Activity at Ports

Economic Activity From Past Decade

  • 91.98B 91.98 Billion Total Exports
  • 55.33B 55.33 Billion Total Imports

Economic Activity from 2024

  • 9.07B 9.07 Billion Total Exports
  • 6.98B 6.98 Billion Total Imports

Top Export Countries

  • Germany Germany
  • Korea, South Korea, South
  • Belgium Belgium
Compiled by Powerbase Associates with data provided by USA Trade Online, figures represent port activity over the past decade and between January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024.

Fueling

  • Gasoline Stations 3,270
  • EV Level 2 Charging Ports 1,066
  • EV Level 2 Charging Stations 497
  • EV DC Fast Charging Ports 525
  • EV DC Fast Charging Stations 111
Compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided by U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, figures represent fueling data as of January 1, 2025.
Consumers
$67.8K
Median Household Income
72.40%
Owner Occupied Housing
27.60%
Rental Occupied Housing
87.60%
Owner Occupied Single Family Homes

Commuting to Work

  • Drive Alone to Work (76.10%)
  • Carpool to Work (8.70%)
  • Work From Home (11.82%)
  • Other (3.10%)

Housing Type

  • Single Family Home (64.60%)
  • 1-Unit (3.90%)
  • 2-4 Units (4.60%)
  • 5-9 Units (4.00%)
  • 10-19 Units (3.20%)
  • 20+ Units (5.80%)
  • Mobile / RV / Boat (13.80%)
Figures compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2023.

Automaker’s Facilities

BMW Group Location Employees
BMW Group Information Technology Research Center Greenville, SC 92
BMW Manufacturing Co. Greer, SC 11000
BMW Performance Center Greer, SC 100
BMW of North America Regional Office Greer, SC 82
BMW of North America Training Center Greer, SC 67
BMW of North America Continental Distribution Center Spartanburg, SC
Ford Motor Company Location Employees
Ford Credit Greenville Business Center Greenville, SC 225
Magna Location Employees
Magna Operations SC 1236
Magna Operations SC 1671
Mercedes-Benz Location Employees
Mercedes-Benz USA Ladson, SC 13
Mercedes-Benz Vans Ladson, SC 1600
Volvo Location Employees
Volvo Car Industrial Operations Ridgeville, SC 1262
Volvo Car Manufacturing Training Center Ridgeville, SC 0
Volvo Car USA Ridgeville, SC 150
Volvo Car University & Jacob Office Building Ridgeville, SC 91
Volvo South Carolina Technical Center Ridgeville, SC 18
Volvo Car US Operations Summerville, SC 16