NAICS 51

Information in Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Metro Market Score 73.8 (Difficult), ranked #286 of 294 metros. 988 establishments, 6,089 jobs.

Metro Market Score 73.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national information average.

💰High-Cost Market

Charleston-North Charleston scores 73.8 on the Metro Market Score for information, placing it in the bottom 10%. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

87.1

LQ: 0.84

Rank #256 of 294 metros

Wage Competitiveness

89.1

$129,063 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 21.8

Employment growth index

Rank #231 of 294 metros

Wage Pressure

31.4

YoY wage change index

988 Information Firms in Charleston-North Charleston

988

Establishments

+9.8% YoY

6,089

Total Employment

-6.8% YoY

$129,063

Average Annual Wage

+15.7% YoY

0.84

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within South Carolina

#6 of 6

information metros in state

South Carolina state rank

#29 of 51

for information entry risk

vs State Median

+18.7

worse than median (55.1)

Charleston-North Charleston vs South Carolina Statewide

How this metro's information market compares to South Carolina overall. The state ranks #29/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Charleston-North Charleston	SC Statewide
Overall Score	73.8 Difficult	46.3 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#286 of 294 metros	#29 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Charleston-North Charleston

Healthcare and Social Assistance 36.4 Retail Trade 49.4 Construction 49.8 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 58.6 Other Services 59.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 62.7 Accommodation and Food Services 63.4 Administrative and Support Services 64.4 Finance and Insurance 70.0

Information in Other South Carolina Metros

Sumter 27.0 #46/294 Florence 47.0 #170/294 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 52.8 #203/294 Greenville-Anderson-Greer 55.1 #216/294 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach 64.8 #258/294

Information Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Charleston-North Charleston's 73.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Raleigh-Cary, NC 74.2 #287/294 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT 73.2 #285/294 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 73.1 #284/294 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 72.6 #283/294 New Haven, CT 75.3 #288/294 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 75.6 #289/294 Trenton-Princeton, NJ 75.7 #290/294 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 71.5 #282/294 Fargo, ND 71.5 #281/294 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 71.4 #280/294

Information in States Bordering South Carolina

State-level entry risk for information in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

North Carolina 45.3 #28/51 Georgia 48.9 #39/51

Browse Information in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for information across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Charleston-North Charleston's information sector, the employment growth component (78.2) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment