At 6.5%, unemployment in Carolina Forest is higher than in 78% of U.S. towns
Commuters spend 22 minutes getting to work on average; the South Carolina average is 26, the U.S. 26. The two grades for Carolina Forest are C+ for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. About one in ten work in Carolina Forest itself; outside it, Myrtle Beach draws the most (26%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Carolina Forest apart
Jobs in Carolina Forest have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Carolina Forest went from 2,956 in 2013 to 6,169 in 2023, +109%. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Carolina Forest pay little
30% of the jobs based in Carolina Forest pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 34% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
Carolina Forest draws workers from far and wide
The 6,169 jobs in Carolina Forest are filled from a wide area. Carolina Forest’s own residents hold 13% and the ten next-biggest home towns 26%; the other 61% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Carolina Forest
49% of Carolina Forest residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 31% of the jobs based in Carolina Forest pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 92% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Carolina Forest’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Carolina Forest is better than 38% of U.S. towns, #78 of 168 in South Carolina. Job access by car holds Carolina Forest’s grade up (ahead of 62% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Carolina Forest could be anywhere from C− to B+.
Inside Carolina Forest’s 6,169 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Carolina Forest, 2013 → 2023: 2,956 → 6,169. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Carolina Forest’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where Carolina Forest’s working residents head each day
Where Carolina Forest clocks in
26% of workers
12% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The daily flow of workers through Carolina Forest
On a workday 8,856 residents head out to work, 791 work right here, and 5,378 people come in from elsewhere.
About 23,000 people are in Carolina Forest on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.64 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The trip to work from Carolina Forest: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Carolina Forest workers work from home, vs 12% across South Carolina. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,710 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across South Carolina: 86% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Half of Carolina Forest commutes less than 8 miles
About 21% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Carolina Forest, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Carolina Forest is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns, #117 of 169 in South Carolina. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.4% across South Carolina.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 11,973 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.8% of Carolina Forest households have no vehicle (South Carolina 5.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Carolina Forest’s commuters take a bus or train.
Carolina Forest places 1,231st of 1,576 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 18,000 to 35,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 111 | Five Forks SC | 18,656 | $142K | 2.5% | 3.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 653 | Hanahan SC | 22,415 | $88K | 11.7% | 2.5% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 694 | Simpsonville SC | 28,459 | $82K | 6.1% | 4.1% | 5% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,229 | Pottstown PA | 23,322 | $61K | 17.5% | 5.1% | 11% | C+ |
| 1,230 | Millville NJ | 28,098 | $70K | 12.5% | 6.1% | 20% | C+ |
| 1,231 | Carolina Forest SC | 26,263 | $74K | 13.0% | 6.5% | 8% | C+ |
| 1,232 | Austin MN | 26,689 | $68K | 12.5% | 4.5% | 57% | C+ |
| 1,233 | Bowling Green OH | 31,182 | $45K | 28.6% | 5.7% | 34% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,576 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Carolina Forest, the top three, the last and three more from South Carolina.
12% of Carolina Forest works in a bordering town
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Carolina Forest workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Forest | – | C+ | C+ | 22 min | $74,436 |
| Conway | 12% | C− | A− | 24 min | $56,650 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Conway. Darker towns draw more of Carolina Forest’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Carolina Forest: questions
What is the median household income in Carolina Forest?
$74,436 (±$6,922) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,324 across South Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Carolina Forest?
13.0%, against 14.1% across South Carolina and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Carolina Forest?
22 minutes each way on average, against 26 across South Carolina and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Carolina Forest work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Myrtle Beach (26%, 4 mi), Conway (12%, 9 mi), North Myrtle Beach (6%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Carolina Forest walkable?
Carolina Forest is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Carolina Forest without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Carolina Forest, from the people who make the trip.
More of Carolina Forest
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.