South Carolina Calling! The ‘Palmetto State’ Tops the List of Preferred Destinations for Americans Relocating

Also known as “The Palmetto State” for the distinctive palm tree that grows here, renowned for its characteristic cities like Charleston, Columbia, Summerville, and for the white beaches and golf courses of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is undergoing a full economic development and urban transformation with modern infrastructure designed to accommodate the growing influx of new residents.

In recent years, particularly since the post-pandemic period, the United States has seen steadily increasing percentages of internal relocations from one state to another. Initially, the preferred destinations were Texas, Florida, Montana, and Maine. But by the end of 2024, the trend shifted. South Carolina has climbed to the top of the list of preferred destinations for Americans, a ranking derived from statistics published by three different companies providing services related to the relocation of people and businesses.

According to these studies, last year about 10,000 more new residents arrived here than the number of people who moved elsewhere.

In the ranking published by U-Haul, one of the largest rental companies for moving vehicles, South Carolina even overtook Texas, which had led the top group—also including Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina—for at least three years.

A better quality of life is the primary reason driving tens of thousands of people to relocate to South Carolina. This result stems from many factors, starting with the lower cost of essential goods and extending to the greatly improved efficiency of basic services following the pandemic emergency. Adding to these favorable conditions is a significant increase in job opportunities.

This last aspect is certainly driving South Carolina’s population growth, now nearing 5.5 million residents, distributed across the state—not just along Myrtle Beach’s shores or around the port of Charleston, one of the most important on the East Coast. The top destination for this robust migration is the capital, Columbia, which, after a period of decline—including in terms of its residents’ average income—is now focusing on industry, education, and tourism as drivers of economic development.

Columbia has long been criticized for being more resistant to change compared to the rapid development of areas like Greenville and Charleston. Yet, in recent years, the trend seems to have reversed. Just in the past few months, numerous urban construction projects have been set in motion in South Carolina’s capital.

New hotels and residences are under construction, significant public spaces are being redeveloped, and modern infrastructure is being planned or is already in progress to improve and speed up access to the city center.

In the industrial area just outside Columbia, construction projects for data centers, logistics hubs, and road interchanges have begun. In Blythewood, in Richland County, the new Scout Motors industrial area will rise, capable of employing over 4,000 people and producing more than 200,000 Scout pickups (the iconic Scout vehicles) per year at full capacity.

For the project’s functionality, Lane Construction (Webuild Group) was recently awarded the enhancement of traffic flow on Interstate I-77, including the construction of a highway interchange that will provide direct access to the plant.

The new project also includes the construction of four bridges, access ramps, a new east-west connecting road linking I-77 to US Route 21, as well as the expansion of 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) of I-77 to three lanes and the upgrading of existing interchanges.

For the Webuild Group, this is a recent new contract in the “Palmetto State,” where Lane Construction is already working on the I-20 bridges crossing the Wateree River and the renovation of bridges in Kershaw County, built in the 1970s and now reaching the end of their useful life.