B2B cold email software in South Carolina
Verified federal data on the South Carolina business market, plus outreach guides for its largest cities and service industries. Acqro researches every company on your list and writes each email from what it finds.
Onboarding in batches. No credit card to join.
How many businesses are in South Carolina?
South Carolina had 122,958 business establishments in 2023, ranking 23rd among the 50 states and DC, with 33,413 of them employing 10 to 249 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns. Acqro is AI cold email software that researches each of those companies before writing to them.
The South Carolina B2B market in numbers
- Business establishments
- 122,958+1.8% vs 2022Census CBP 2023
- Firms with 10–249 employees
- 33,413Census CBP 2023
- Paid employees
- 2,067,143Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $52,961Census CBP 2023
- Professional services firms
- 12,611Census CBP 2023, NAICS 54
- Share of US establishments
- 1.5%Census CBP 2023
72.2% of establishments in South Carolina have fewer than 10 employees, in line with the 73.0% share for the United States. The 33,413 establishments with 10 to 249 employees are where most B2B lists should start: large enough to have a budget and a defined buyer, small enough that an owner or department head still makes the call and reads their own email.
By employment, the largest sectors are administrative, support and waste management services (14.7% of jobs) and retail trade (13.0% of jobs). Relative to the national mix, administrative, support and waste management services (14.7% locally against 9.6% nationally) and manufacturing (12.5% locally against 8.8% nationally) stand out, which makes them natural first segments for outbound.
The number of establishments changed by +1.8% between 2022 and 2023, faster than the +0.8% change for the United States. New and growing businesses are the accounts most likely to be choosing vendors for the first time, so pair that list with research on hiring, new locations and leadership changes before writing a single email.
Largest industries in South Carolina
Sectors ranked by paid employment, compared with the national mix.
| Sector | Establishments | Employees | Avg. annual pay | Share of jobs | US share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative, support and waste management services | 6,897 | 303,812 | $45,826 | 14.7% | 9.6% |
| Retail trade | 18,647 | 269,094 | $34,228 | 13.0% | 11.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 12,694 | 267,286 | $57,637 | 12.9% | 15.8% |
| Manufacturing | 4,006 | 257,989 | $68,687 | 12.5% | 8.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,228 | 245,905 | $22,859 | 11.9% | 10.4% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 12,611 | 114,785 | $84,302 | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| Construction | 11,981 | 99,054 | $66,752 | 4.8% | 5.5% |
| Other services | 12,908 | 86,121 | $36,371 | 4.2% | 4.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 7,645 | 82,019 | $82,117 | 4.0% | 5.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 4,810 | 81,556 | $74,731 | 3.9% | 4.5% |
Where South Carolina businesses are concentrated
Counties ranked by number of business establishments.
| County | Establishments | Share of state | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston County | 15,801 | 12.9% | 226,330 |
| Greenville County | 15,493 | 12.6% | 266,065 |
| Horry County | 10,550 | 8.6% | 123,792 |
| Richland County | 9,426 | 7.7% | 169,733 |
| Spartanburg County | 7,399 | 6.0% | 150,332 |
| Lexington County | 7,391 | 6.0% | 117,298 |
| York County | 6,231 | 5.1% | 97,731 |
| Beaufort County | 6,087 | 5.0% | 59,121 |
| Berkeley County | 4,230 | 3.4% | 61,856 |
| Anderson County | 4,160 | 3.4% | 71,264 |
Cold email guides for South Carolina cities
Each guide covers the county that contains the city.
| City | County | Establishments in county |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston | Charleston County | 15,801 |
| Columbia | Richland County | 9,426 |
| Mount Pleasant | Charleston County | 15,801 |
| North Charleston | Charleston County | 15,801 |
B2B service industries in South Carolina
Establishment counts in South Carolina for the service industries Acqro customers work in. Each links to an outreach guide.
| Industry | Census industry (NAICS) | Establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Real Estate Brokers | Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers | 3,337 |
| Law Firms | Offices of Lawyers | 2,590 |
| Commercial Insurance Brokers | Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 2,042 |
| Commercial Cleaning Companies | Janitorial Services | 1,094 |
| Management Consultants | Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services | 942 |
| CPA and Accounting Firms | Offices of Certified Public Accountants | 675 |
| Staffing Agencies | Temporary Help Services | 626 |
| Software Development Agencies | Custom Computer Programming Services | 566 |
| Healthtech Vendors | Computer Systems Design Services | 488 |
| SEO Agencies | Marketing Consulting Services | 464 |
| Architecture Firms | Architectural Services | 305 |
| Logistics Providers | Freight Transportation Arrangement | 263 |
| Office Design Firms | Interior Design Services | 260 |
| Financial Advisory Firms | Investment Advice | 238 |
| Cybersecurity Firms | Other Computer Related Services | 196 |
| Commercial Waste Services | Solid Waste Collection | 191 |
| Marketing Agencies | Advertising Agencies | 189 |
| Corporate Caterers | Caterers | 165 |
| SaaS Companies | Software Publishers | 146 |
| HR Consultancies | Human Resources Consulting Services | 117 |
| Payroll Providers | Payroll Services | 83 |
| Executive Search Firms | Executive Search Services | 80 |
| Video Production Companies | Motion Picture and Video Production | 78 |
| Corporate Training Providers | Professional and Management Development Training | 76 |
| PR Agencies | Public Relations Agencies | 76 |
| Managed Service Providers | Computer Facilities Management Services | 72 |
| Event Management Companies | Convention and Trade Show Organizers | 66 |
| Business Telecom and VoIP Providers | Telecommunications Resellers | 54 |
| Merchant Services Providers | Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities | 43 |
| Translation Services | Translation and Interpretation Services | 20 |
Cold email in South Carolina, answered
How many businesses are in South Carolina?
South Carolina had 122,958 business establishments in 2023, employing 2,067,143 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
What are the largest industries in South Carolina?
By paid employment in 2023: administrative, support and waste management services (14.7% of jobs), retail trade (13.0% of jobs) and health care and social assistance (12.9% of jobs). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Guides for South Carolina
Other states
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
Reach the right South Carolina accounts
Tell us where to reach you and we'll open the next seat.
Prefer a conversation? Get in touch.