Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Sumter, SC MSA — October 2026
Sumter jobless rate falls as payrolls quietly shrink.
Sumter MSA unemployment dropped to 4.8% in September, but nonfarm employment fell 1.8% year-over-year to 37,500 and wages grew just 0.1% annually, well behind South Carolina's statewide 4.0% wage gain.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Sumter unemployment rate: 4.8% — Down from 6.7% in Jan. 2026; SC statewide at 4.0%
- Sumter nonfarm employment: 37,500 — Down 700 jobs (-1.8%) year-over-year
- Sumter avg. weekly wage growth: +0.1% YoY — vs. South Carolina statewide +4.0%
- SC statewide labor force: 2,679,964 — Record high, fastest-growing in U.S. in 2026
Key takeaways
Lower unemployment is masking a shrinking job base.
Nonfarm employment fell 1.8% year-over-year even as the unemployment rate improved six straight months, a pattern most consistent with workers leaving the labor force. Commerce leaders citing the unemployment rate alone risk overstating local economic momentum.
Wage growth in Sumter is flat where the state is not.
Average weekly wages rose just 0.1% year-over-year in Sumter against South Carolina's 4.0% statewide gain, one of the widest metro-to-state wage gaps in the research. That divergence may signal weaker local demand for labor relative to Charleston (3.2% unemployment) and Greenville (3.3%), both outperforming Sumter on employment trajectory.
Healthcare pay strength stands out against a soft wage backdrop.
Certified Nursing Assistant and Registered Nurse advertised pay both posted significant local gains even as broader metro wages stalled, consistent with statewide trends showing education and health services among the state's top annual job-growth sectors. That concentration suggests healthcare is carrying a disproportionate share of local wage momentum.
Construction and skilled trades pay outpaces the metro average.
Construction Laborer and HVAC Technician advertised pay both rose significantly locally, outperforming flat readings in administrative and customer-service roles. Pattern is consistent with continued building and infrastructure activity in the metro even as office-based and retail-adjacent wages soften.
Median advertised pay by role — Sumter, SC MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $21,641 | $27,040 | $31,076 | Moderate increase | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $22,880 | $26,000 | $29,608 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $30,230 | $33,928 | $35,916 | Moderate increase | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $60,244 | $85,128 | $95,500 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $25,915 | $28,692 | $32,673 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $32,464 | $35,360 | $37,652 | Significant increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $57,970 | $68,511 | $70,000 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $29,021 | $33,280 | $35,360 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $29,171 | $36,608 | $47,104 | Significant decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $28,080 | $37,918 | $39,686 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $31,200 | $39,437 | $41,080 | Significant increase | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $30,125 | $36,126 | $38,740 | Moderate decline | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $63,640 | $77,500 | $85,675 | Significant increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $81,372 | $92,301 | $97,335 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer * | $118,103 | $153,192 | $170,000 | Stable | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,179 | $137,912 | $155,363 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $54,484 | $61,337 | $65,517 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $56,931 | $76,878 | $90,000 | Significant decline | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $52,413 | $71,585 | $75,345 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $43,945 | $58,516 | $70,605 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $74,879 | $82,540 | $82,955 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $35,948 | $60,247 | $67,085 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $68,753 | $84,932 | $89,375 | Moderate increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $60,072 | $78,053 | $78,053 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $72,756 | $89,500 | $101,690 | Stable | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $46,244 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $61,115 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $37,175 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $51,900 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $73,363 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $43,316 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $49,920 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $67,258 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $36,215 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $62,239 | Stable | Moderate decline |
Local market conditions
Sumter MSA unemployment fell to 4.8% in September, down six-tenths of a point from August and continuing a steady retreat from 6.7% in January, even as nonfarm employment sits 700 jobs (-1.8%) below year-ago levels at 37,500. Average weekly wages rose to $944.46 in June, up 1.1% monthly but nearly flat (0.1%) year-over-year — a divergence from South Carolina's statewide 4.0% annual wage gain that points to a local economy adding fewer workers even as the jobs that remain pay only modestly more.
What it means
Falling unemployment alongside shrinking payrolls is consistent with labor-force exit, a dynamic that commerce leaders should read as tightening local capacity. Wage stagnation against the state's 4.0% average suggests Sumter employers have less pricing power on pay than peers in Charleston or Greenville, which may constrain consumer spending capacity even as headline unemployment improves. Current conditions suggest local economic development and workforce boards evaluate whether the payroll decline reflects sector-specific contraction or a broader participation shift before treating the lower jobless rate as unambiguous good news.
Looking ahead
Potential inflection point: Watch whether Sumter's nonfarm payroll count stabilizes or continues its year-over-year decline when October data posts. A reversal would support a labor-force-exit reading of the current unemployment drop; continued decline would point to real contraction in local job demand.
Worth watching: South Carolina's statewide labor force hit a record 2.68 million in September while Sumter's payrolls shrank — a gap worth tracking to see whether state-level population and labor-force growth eventually reaches Sumter or continues to bypass it.
Early indicator: Manufacturing and food/hospitality led South Carolina's 2026 WARN notices (10 and 7 notices respectively). Commerce leaders should monitor whether any Sumter-based facilities appear in forthcoming state WARN filings, given the metro's reliance on manufacturing employment.
Emerging pressure point: National wage data show median earnings rising 1.5% against 3.5% CPI growth in Q3 — real wage erosion that compounds Sumter's own near-flat local wage trend. Watch regional retail and consumer-facing data for signs this is softening household spending in the metro.
Sources
- SC Department of Employment and Workforce — Sumter MSA unemployment rate 4.8% in September, down from 6.7% in January
- SC Department of Employment and Workforce — Sumter nonfarm employment 37,500 in August, down 700 jobs (-1.8%) year-over-year
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Average weekly wages in Sumter $944.46 in June, up 0.1% year-over-year
- SC Department of Employment and Workforce — South Carolina average weekly wages up 4.0% year-over-year statewide
- SC Department of Employment and Workforce — South Carolina labor force reached record 2,679,964 in September 2026
- SC WARN Act Tracker — Manufacturing and food/hospitality led SC WARN notice activity in 2026
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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