Healthcare jobs in South Carolina: growth in practices, 2019 to 2025

Healthcare jobs in South Carolina's outpatient sector grew faster than the national rate from 2019 to 2025. Private employment in ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621), which covers physician, dental and therapy offices, outpatient centers, labs and home health, rose from 98,117 to 119,888, a 22.2 percent increase, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The U.S. grew 17.3 percent over the same years.

For context, South Carolina's population grew 7.0 percent from April 2020 to July 2024, based on Census Bureau estimates. Outpatient health employment has grown much faster than the population, and new residents, an aging population and the long shift of care from hospitals to clinics all add to demand.

The number of locations grew faster still. QCEW counted 10,446 private ambulatory care establishments in South Carolina in 2025, up 33.4 percent from 7,828 in 2019. New practices, satellite offices and outpatient sites are opening faster than staff are being added, so the average location is getting smaller: 11.5 employees in 2025, down from 12.5 in 2019.

All three main practice types grew in South Carolina, but at different speeds. Offices of physicians (NAICS 6211) added 7,603 jobs, up 18.4 percent, against 12.0 percent nationally. Their locations grew 32.1 percent while employment per location fell from 16.9 to 15.2, consistent with more, smaller clinic sites. Employment dipped slightly between 2024 and 2025, from 49,519 to 48,896, the only practice type to decline that year.

Offices of dentists (NAICS 6212) grew employment 14.9 percent, close to twice the national 8.1 percent, with locations up 14.4 percent. Offices of other health practitioners (NAICS 6213), which includes chiropractors, physical, occupational and speech therapists, optometrists and mental health practitioners, grew 23.8 percent in jobs and 40.3 percent in locations. Nationally that group grew even faster, 36.5 percent, so South Carolina's lead in physician and dental growth does not extend to therapy and allied practices.

Yes, overall, though not in every practice type. In 2024 South Carolina had 21.1 private outpatient health care jobs per 1,000 residents, compared with 25.8 for the U.S., so even after six years of faster growth the state is still below the national level. Physician offices are the exception: 9.0 jobs per 1,000 residents in South Carolina against 8.7 nationally.

The biggest gap is in offices of other health practitioners, at 2.4 jobs per 1,000 residents versus 3.6 nationally. Dental offices are close, at 2.9 versus 3.1. For chiropractors, physical therapists, optometrists and counselors, that gap suggests room to grow in South Carolina, especially in counties gaining residents quickly.

The most recent year shows growth continuing but uneven. From 2024 to 2025, South Carolina outpatient health employment grew 3.5 percent against 2.8 percent nationally. Offices of other health practitioners grew 5.3 percent and dental offices 0.6 percent, while physician office employment fell 1.3 percent even as it rose 1.2 percent nationally. One year is not a trend, but practices hiring clinical and front-office staff in 2026 are doing so in a market that is still expanding.

Average annual pay in South Carolina's private outpatient health sector was $78,732 in 2025, up 22.9 percent from $64,059 in 2019 and close to the U.S. average of $79,366. Pay rose fastest in dental offices, up 28.9 percent to $69,727, which is now above the national dental office average of $67,443. Offices of other health practitioners rose 28.1 percent to $52,491, and physician offices 21.8 percent to $111,985.

These are averages across every person on payroll, from physicians and hygienists to front-desk staff, and they include part-time workers. The practical point for a practice is that labor costs have risen by roughly a quarter in six years. Every hour of staff time spent on phone tag, manual reminders and re-keying patient information costs more than it did in 2019.

Greenville County led by a wide margin, adding 6,366 private outpatient health jobs from 2019 to 2025, a 44.3 percent increase. Among the ten largest counties by population, Berkeley grew fastest in percentage terms (63.5 percent), from a small base, followed by York (35.3 percent) and Lexington (28.6 percent). Charleston (6.7 percent) and Spartanburg (6.0 percent) grew the least.

The more telling measure is jobs per resident. Charleston (36.4 per 1,000 residents), Greenville (33.4) and Richland (31.6) are regional medical centers that draw patients from surrounding counties. Horry County, the state's second-fastest-growing county, has 16.8 outpatient health jobs per 1,000 residents, and Berkeley has 9.6, against 21.1 statewide. Patients in those counties are more likely to drive elsewhere for care, which leaves room for practices that open closer to them.

Average pay also varies widely between neighboring counties. Charleston ($89,825) and Richland ($89,567) have the highest outpatient health pay among the ten largest counties, while Lexington has the lowest at $56,634, about $33,000 less than Richland just across the river. Mix explains much of it, since counties with more physician offices and specialty clinics average higher, but a Midlands practice recruiting hygienists, medical assistants or front-desk staff will still meet different pay expectations depending on where candidates currently work.

More locations, smaller teams and higher pay add up to more competition for patients and for staff at the same time. Monvell works with health and wellness practices on intake, scheduling, reminders and patient communication so front-office capacity grows with demand instead of headcount alone.

• Competition is local and rising. With practice locations up a third in six years, new patients have more choices nearby, so visibility in search and maps, reviews and how quickly a new-patient inquiry is answered all matter more.
• Staff are expensive and scarce. Pay rose about 22 to 29 percent across practice types, so front-office time is worth protecting with online booking, automated confirmations and clear intake forms.
• Growth counties are under-served. Horry, Berkeley and other fast-growing counties have well below the state's rate of outpatient health jobs per resident, which favors satellite locations and extended service areas.
• Smaller sites need simple systems. A 10-person location rarely has a dedicated operations role, so scheduling, reminders and follow-up need to run reliably without one.

We downloaded the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages annual average files for 2019, 2024 and 2025 for NAICS 621, 6211, 6212 and 6213 from the QCEW open data service, and kept private ownership records (own code 5) for South Carolina (area 45000), the U.S. (US000) and each South Carolina county. We report annual average establishments, annual average employment and average annual pay as published, and compute percentage changes from 2019 to 2025. County rows where BLS suppressed data for confidentiality were excluded; all ten counties shown had published values.

Jobs per 1,000 residents divide 2024 QCEW employment by the Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 July 2024 population estimate (data-raw/co.csv), so the years match; the U.S. figure uses the sum of state estimates. Population growth uses the April 2020 estimates base. QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance by where the establishment is located, not where workers live, and it excludes self-employed practitioners without payroll. County figures can shift when a multi-site employer changes how it reports locations.