POPULATION: 4,407,709 (July 2007)

LABOR FORCE: 2,143,000 (July 2008)

RIGHT TO WORK: Yes

TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES: Automotive-related industries, textile manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, plastics

EXPANDING INDUSTRIES: Aerospace, automotive, distribution, biotechnology, building products, alternative energy, plastics and chemicals, forestry and wood products, services, tourism

COLLEGE GRADUATES: (Age 25 and over) 23.5%

BASIC BUSINESS TAXES:
Corporate Income Tax: 5 percent of taxable income derived from South Carolina operations; phasing in a single-factor sales formula for apportionment

Sales and Use Tax: 6 percent on gross receipts from retail sales or leases of tangible personal property; construction materials used for manufacturing or distribution facility exempt if $100 million invested over 18-month period; manufacturing production machinery, manufacturing materials, and industrial electricity and other fuels used in manufacturing are all exempt; also exempt are R&D equipment; manufacturers' air, water, and noise pollution-control equipment; material-handling equipment for manufacturing projects investing $35 million or more in the state; packaging materials; long-distance telecommunications services, including 800 services; and parts and supplies used to repair or condition aircraft owned or leased by the federal government or commercial air carriers

Property Tax: No state tax on real or personal property; assessed value and millage rates set locally; five-year county property tax abatement for new manufacturing, distribution, and corporate headquarters; all inventories, intangible property, and pollution-control equipment is exempt; fee in lieu of tax available that can reduce property tax between 43-62 percent