Anderson County Sets Unemployment Record

ANDERSON COUNTY SEES RECORD LEVEL OF EMPLOYMENT HEADING INTO THE NEW YEAR; 

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPS TO 2.7% 

89,383 Anderson County residents were employed as of November, according to new data released by the SC Department of Employment & Workforce. 

“One year ago, almost 4,500 of our friends and neighbors were unemployed due to the results of the pandemic,” said County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. “I am thankful to announce today that number has declined by almost 50 percent. This stands as testimony to the resiliency of our local economy and, most especially, our  people.” 

The county’s 2.7% unemployment rate represents a decrease from the 2.9% recorded in October and is the lowest rate observed since the onset of economic disruptions related to the pandemic. By way of comparison, the county’s unemployment rate peaked at 11.8% in May 2020. 

The unemployment rate for the state of South Carolina in November was reported at 3.7 percent. 

The resiliency in the local economy can be attributed in large part to the county’s ongoing commitment to economic development efforts. Despite the lingering effects of the pandemic, in 2021 Anderson County announced new and expanded economic development projects representing more than $350 million in capital investment and the creation of 1,100 new jobs. 

Anderson County also worked to spur activity in the travel and tourism sector, most significantly through hosting events at Green Pond Landing. During 2021,  tournaments staged at Green Pond attracted more than 1,450 boats and 6,000  spectators, resulting in a local economic impact in excess of five million dollars. 

The decade from 2010 to 2020 began and ended with significant nationwide  economic distress; however, three data points of interest recently released by the  US Federal Reserve serve to highlight gains in the economic health of our  community: 

• Adjusted for inflation, the Gross Domestic Product for Private, Goods Producing industries in Anderson County increased by 35 percent, rising  from $1.49 billion in 2010 to $2.01 billion in 2020

• Median household income increased by 36 percent, from $38,851 in 2010 to  $52,667 in 2020 

• Over the course of the decade, the number of children living in poverty in our  community dropped by one-third, and the total number of persons living in  poverty declined by almost twenty percent 

Anderson County Council and staff extend their best wishes to each and every one of you for a happy holiday season and a prosperous, and healthy, new year. 

“This time of the year is spent in good cheer 

And neighbors together do meet 

To sit by the fire with friendly desire 

Each other in love to greet 

Old grudges forgot are put in the pot 

All sorrows aside they lay 

The old and the young doth carol this song 

To drive the cold winter away” 

--In Praise of Christmas, traditional English carol