South Carolina Top Destination for Gen Z Adults in 2024

By Bryan P. Grady, Ph.D., Assistant Executive Director for Labor Market Information

One map has people across the state talking on social media, and it’s this one:

You might be wondering: Is it true? Yes, it is. South Carolina had an estimated 22,843 more people aged 18 to 27 move to our state than leave it in 2024, a higher level of net migration than any other state for that age bracket. (60,223 moved from the other 49 states and the District of Columbia into South Carolina, while 37,380 departed our state; subtracting the second number from the first gives us 22,843.) 

As noted in the caption, this information comes from an article published by LendingTree that analyzed American Community Survey (ACS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This top line number only tells us so much, though. Thankfully, ACS has a lot of information about the people coming to and going from our state.

The first question you might have is: Why? One big reason is college. Forty-four percent of the Gen Z cohort (including 93 percent of 18-year-olds) were currently enrolled in school at the time they were surveyed. Further, seven percent reported a military occupation, meaning they likely serve at one of our state’s many military facilities or support those that do.

Where did these young adults come from? Not far away, for the most part. Over a quarter moved here from the top two states, our neighbors—North Carolina and Georgia. New York ranked third, followed by Florida and Virginia.

Table: State of Origin for Gen Z Adults Moving to South Carolina in 2024

Where in South Carolina did they end up? The raw survey data can’t be too specific, as that could undermine the privacy of individual respondents, but at least 23 percent moved to the Charleston metropolitan statistical area. Another 16 percent of the cohort relocated to the Columbia area, while 13 percent settled down in and around Greenville.  

Among this group, the most common civilian occupation was waiters and waitresses, representing six percent of in-movers, followed by receptionists and information clerks. Meanwhile, among college graduates, the most common fields of study were psychology, nursing, marketing, finance, and public relations.

On the flip side, what about people in this age group who left our state? Only 29 percent of leavers were enrolled in school, so college enrollment is much less of a driver of departures. The destinations, then, are likely our state’s competitors for workers. The table below provides a state-level analysis; among metropolitan areas, Richmond had the largest inflow of young adults from South Carolina (3,235).

Table: New State of Residence for Gen Z Adults Leaving South Carolina in 2024

The most common civilian occupation was automotive service technicians, representing four percent of out-movers, followed by nursing assistants. Meanwhile, college graduates most frequently studied biology, physical fitness, general medical and health sciences, mechanical engineering, and psychology.

What else do you want to know about these groups—or any other topic related to our state’s workforce? Don’t be shy, drop us a line at lmicustomerservice@dew.sc.gov. Until next time!