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    South Carolina

    South
    #32 of 51 states · IEPA 2025
    53.9▼ -1 YoY
    ●●●0.97IEPA COMPOSITE

    South Carolina scores 53.9 out of 100 on the IEPA US state layer (2025 edition), ranking #32 of 51 US states. That is down 1.0 points on the year before. Its strongest zone is FDI Accelerator at 72.8. Its binding constraint, the lowest-scoring of its six zones, is Resilience at 35.2. How the IEPA works →

    SIX FACTORS · CLICK ANY SCORE FOR ITS EVIDENCE
    IEPA TRAJECTORY · 2019–2025
    20192020202120222023202420253642485460
    TRADE · TOTAL GOODS EXPORTS (US$)
    20192020202120222023$0$15.0B$30.0B$45.0B$60.0B
    Goods exports · annual, US$
    STANDING
    National rank: #32 of 51
    US region: South
    Indices scored: 12
    Scored within the 50 states + DC across the same six zones. Expand any factor for the indices behind the number.
    PEERS · SOUTH
    DCDistrict of Columbia52.5→DEDelaware58.3→TNTennessee60.3→KYKentucky46.4→LALouisiana45.3→

    South Carolina: common questions

    What is South Carolina's IEPA score?
    South Carolina scores 53.9 out of 100 on the IEPA US state layer, 2025 edition, which ranks it #32 of 51 US states.
    What is South Carolina's strongest zone?
    FDI Accelerator, at 72.8. The six zones are scored separately, so a market's strengths stay visible instead of being averaged away.
    What is holding South Carolina back?
    Its binding constraint is Resilience, at 35.2, the lowest of its six zones. The IEPA reports every zone separately so the constraint stays visible instead of being averaged into the composite.
    How does South Carolina compare with its peers?
    The closest scored peers are District of Columbia (52.5), Delaware (58.3), Tennessee (60.3), Kentucky (46.4), Louisiana (45.3).
    What is the IEPA?
    The Innovation Ecosystem Prosperity Assessment (IEPA) scores economies across six zones: innovation capacity, entrepreneurship capacity, resilience, alignment, the FDI accelerator, and prosperity outcomes. Every score carries a confidence band and traces to the evidence behind it.
    Explore the World index →Talk to IE about South Carolina →