Foreigners flock to Greenville amid nationwide population shift

South Carolina is one of the big winners when it comes to welcoming residents from other states.

As remote work has increased, more and more people are no longer tied to a particular state. This increased mobility has tended to drive away high-income people in particular. Here in Greenville County, most of the city’s new residents come from the northeastern United States and southern Florida, the Chicago metropolitan area and southern California, according to the Greenville Chamber.

Greenville County Wins Big

Hank Hyatt, senior vice president of economic competitiveness with the Greenville Chambersaid Greenville gained 19 residents a day this year — about 17 from net migration and two from births.

“A lot of different things come together to build the Greenville brand,” he said.

National advertising, including a recent “60 minutessegment highlighting Greenville’s success, elevated the area from its status as “upstate’s best-kept secret” 20 years ago to an ideal new destination for those fleeing the high cost of living in d other parts of the country.

At the same time, Hyatt said any population Greenville County loses is to residents of neighboring counties like Anderson, Spartanburg and Pickens.

The cost of living index, as studied by the Council for Community and Economic Research, puts Greenville at 89.9, with the US average at 100. The composite index is based on six component categories – housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services. For comparison, places like Manhattan come in at 239.3, San Francisco at 186.4, and Los Angeles at 148.0.

The Greenville Chamber continues to answer questions from businesses looking to relocate to the area, Hyatt said, with a particular focus on areas that attract future business growth potential, such as its housing and talent pool. talents.

“Housing inventory levels may not be where they should be,” he said, adding that interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve would cool things down a bit. Still, he believes the region has the competitive advantage to continue to be a major player in the country for years to come.

The population boom will continue

Greenville Countyit is population is expected to grow by 222,000 residents and 86,000 new jobs by 2040, according to a recent county report. The population today stands at 514,000. The county is already planning a number of community meetings to meet current plans to manage the continuing population boom.

“To ensure the wise use of our natural, financial, infrastructural and community resources, the community must answer many questions: for example, where to concentrate growth, where to preserve it and what growth should look like,” said the county staff in a statement. Press release.

“There are challenges that come with growth,” Hyatt said, citing possible strain on infrastructure and rising housing prices. But he said there are plenty of opportunities and companies are looking to move to where the workers are.

“We are well placed,” he said.

Winners and losers

When it comes to population displacement nationwide, the biggest gainers are Florida ($23.7 billion), Texas ($6.3 billion), Arizona ($4.8 billion dollars), North Carolina ($3.8 billion), South Carolina ($3.6 billion), Tennessee ($2.6 billion), Nevada ($2.6 billion) , Colorado ($2.3 billion), Idaho ($2.1 billion), and Utah ($1.3 billion).

The biggest losers are New York (-$19.5 billion), California (-$17.8 billion), Illinois (-$8.5 billion), Massachusetts (-2.6 billion billion), New Jersey (-$2.3 billion), Maryland (-$1.9 billion), Ohio (-$1.4 billion), Minnesota (-$1.2 billion dollars), Pennsylvania (-$1.2 billion) and Virginia (-$1.1 billion).

-Wall Street Journal Population Report

where do people come from

Greenville County inbound population growth