Largest employer
16,787
people work at Government of the United States of America, the largest employer
State of South Carolina and University of South Carolina are the next largest employers in Columbia.
Elmwood Park, Columbia
The job market inColumbia
506,437 people work in the Columbia metro. See where they work, what they do and what they earn.
Growth
4,171
jobs added over the past year at the largest employers that grew
Net headcount change across the 87 largest employers that grew. Scout Motors, Inc. grew fastest, up 76.6%.
Cottontown, Columbia
Hiring
36,912
job postings were active in Columbia in June 2026
Up 11.4% from a year earlier.
BullStreet, Columbia
In demand
2,319
open postings for registered nurse roles
The most in-demand occupation in Columbia. Postings for rehabilitation therapist are up 28.2% from a year ago.
Forest Drive, Columbia
Industries
73,764
people work in healthcare and wellness services
Another 45,330 work in education services and 30,280 in retail and consumer goods.
Melrose Heights, Columbia
Pay
$81,247
is the median salary for information technology workers here
The best-paid job function in Columbia. The median across the US is $67,324.
Shandon, Columbia
Job titles
12,849
people work in teacher roles
Teacher is the most common job title in Columbia. Account executive is growing fastest, up 8.6% in a year.
Devine Street, Columbia
That's the job market in Columbia.
Everything behind the story, from the largest employers to what each job pays, is below.
What are the largest companies in Columbia?
The largest employer in the Columbia metro is Government of the United States of America, with about 16,787 people working in the area as of June 2026. About 506,437 people work across the metro. Total headcount in the Columbia metro grew 1.49% over the past year.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Columbia, SC (Census CBSA)Data as of June 2026
Workers in the Columbia metro
506,437
506,437 jobs
12-month headcount change
+1.49%
across the Columbia metro
Average salary
$70,852
across employers, June 2026
How is the job market in Columbia?
Columbia employers had 36,912 active job postings in June 2026, up 11.4% from a year earlier. See job openings and hiring trends.
How many people work in Columbia?
About 506,437 people work in the Columbia metro as of June 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce data. Total headcount in the Columbia metro grew 1.49% over the past year.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
Healthcare and wellness services is the largest industry by headcount, at 73,764 jobs, followed by education services (45,330) and retail and consumer goods (30,280). See top industries.
Government of the United States of America is the largest employer, with about 16,787 people in the Columbia metro. Scout Motors, Inc. grew fastest among the largest employers, up +76.6%. Employers here had 36,912 active job postings in June 2026. See hiring trends.
- Metro area
- Columbia, SC
- State
- South Carolina
- Workers in the metro
- 506,437
- Largest employer
- Government of the United States of America
- Largest industry
- Healthcare and Wellness Services
- 12-month change
- +1.49%
- Data as of
- June 2026
Top 15 largest companies in Columbia by employees (2026)
Government of the United States of America employs the most people in the Columbia metro, followed by State of South Carolina and University of South Carolina.
| Hiring rate Locked: talk to a workforce expert for this metric.Unlock in the full dataset | Attrition rate Locked: talk to a workforce expert for this metric.Unlock in the full dataset | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Government of the United States of America | 16,787 | Public Sector Management | ||
| 2 | State of South Carolina | 12,366 | Public Sector Management | ||
| 3 | University of South Carolina | 11,435 | Education Services | ||
| 4 | Prisma Health | 6,983 | Healthcare and Wellness | ||
| 5 | Blue Cross & Blue Shield of South Carolina | 6,663 | Healthcare and Wellness | ||
| 6 | Richland School District Two Foundation | 4,456 | Education Services | ||
| 7 | Walmart, Inc. | 3,989 | Retail and Consumer Goods | ||
| 8 | Palmetto Health-Midlands | 3,413 | Healthcare and Wellness | ||
| 9 | Lexington County School District No. 1 (South Carolina) | 2,614 | Education Services | ||
| 10 | Richland County School District No. 1 (South Carolina) | 2,472 | Education Services |
Source: Revelio Labs workforce data, Columbia metro, June 2026. How we count.
This is the top 15. Revelio tracks employers across the Columbia metro, with headcount by job function, hiring rate and attrition for each.
Walk through the full list with an expertTop industries in Columbia in 2026
The largest industries in the Columbia metro by headcount, from Revelio Labs workforce data.
Jobs by industry across the Columbia metro
Healthcare and wellness services, education services and retail and consumer goods each employ more than 30,000 people here.
Loading- Healthcare and wellness services employs 73,764 people across the metro, the most of any industry.
Source: Revelio Labs, Columbia, June 2026.
Fastest growing companies in Columbia (2026)
Scout Motors, Inc. grew fastest, up +76.6%. 87 of the 200 largest employers in Columbia added employees over the past year.
Companies growing fastest in Columbia (June 2025 to June 2026)
Companies shrinking fastest in Columbia (June 2025 to June 2026)
Percent change in local headcount among the largest employers in the Columbia metro, June 2025 to June 2026.
The full top 10 growing and shrinking employers in Columbia, and where people leaving them go next.
See the full list with an expertCompanies hiring the most in Columbia (2026)
| Company | Active postings |
|---|---|
| Prisma Health | 831 |
| Dollar General Corp. | 398 |
| Walmart, Inc. | 309 |
Active postings as of June 2026.
Most common and in-demand jobs in Columbia (2026)
Share of the Columbia metro workforce by job function, from career profiles.
Workforce by job function
LoadingSource: Revelio Labs career profiles, Columbia metro, June 2026.
Most common job titles
- 1Teacher12,849
- 2Registered Nurse12,585
- 3Medical Administrative Assistant11,261
Fastest growing job titles
- 1Account Executive+8.6%
- 2Sales Executive+8.4%
- 3Sales Manager+5.5%
In-demand jobs in Columbia
Occupations with the most active job postings in the Columbia metro.
| Occupation | Active postings | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse | 2,319 | -46.2% |
| Maintenance Technician | 1,783 | +4.5% |
| Rehabilitation Therapist | 1,570 | +28.2% |
Source: Revelio Labs job postings data, Columbia metro, June 2026. Change is active postings vs June 2025.
Columbia job market: hiring trends (2026)
Columbia employers had 36,912 active job postings in June 2026, up 11.4% from a year earlier.
36,912
Active job postings
as of June 2026
+11.4%
Change vs last year
active postings vs June 2025
Active job postings by month, Columbia metro, Jun 2024 to Jun 2026
Loading- Columbia employers had 36,912 active postings in Jun 2026, up 11.4% from Jun 2025.
- Active postings bottomed at 32,585 in Dec 2024 and peaked at 40,683 in Mar 2026.
Source: Revelio Labs job postings data, deduplicated across job boards and company career sites.
Hiring and attrition rates for every Columbia employer, broken out by role.
Compare hiring rates with an expertAverage salary in Columbia (2026)
Median salary by job function in Columbia
Information technology pays the most. 3 of 10 functions pay above the US median.
Salaries from job postings and modeled compensation. Figures are annual base pay in USD.
Salary by role, seniority and employer in Columbia, compared with any other metro.
Benchmark your pay with an expertWorkforce experts
Get custom workforce data for Columbia
Site selection, an economic development report, a recruiting plan or an investment memo. A Revelio expert will walk you through the data behind this page for the employers, roles and metros you care about.
Talk to a workforce expertQuestions teams bring us
- Which Columbia employers are hiring data engineers?Postings and hiring rate by role and employer
- Which in-demand occupations in Sumter pay above $60,000?Occupations by county, with pay
- Where do people leaving PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd. go next?Talent flows by company, role and metro
- What does a senior nurse earn in Columbia vs Charlotte?Salary by role, seniority and location
Columbia companies: frequently asked questions
Government of the United States of America is the largest employer in the Columbia metro, with about 16,787 people working in the area as of June 2026.
By local headcount, the 10 largest companies in Columbia are Government of the United States of America, State of South Carolina, University of South Carolina, Prisma Health, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of South Carolina, Richland School District Two Foundation, Walmart, Inc., Palmetto Health-Midlands, Lexington County School District No. 1 (South Carolina) and Richland County School District No. 1 (South Carolina), based on Revelio Labs data as of June 2026.
About 506,437 people work in the Columbia metro, based on Revelio Labs data as of June 2026.
By headcount across the metro, the biggest industries are healthcare and wellness services (73,764 jobs), education services (45,330) and retail and consumer goods (30,280).
Among the largest employers in the Columbia metro, Scout Motors, Inc. (+76.6%), AVANTech LLC (+59.4%) and Reyes Holdings LLC (+52.2%) grew fastest from June 2025 to June 2026.
By active job postings, the most in-demand occupations in the Columbia metro are registered nurse, maintenance technician and rehabilitation therapist, as of June 2026.
Columbia employers had 36,912 active job postings in June 2026, up 11.4% from a year earlier.
Monthly. This page reflects data as of June 2026.
Have a question this page doesn't answer? Speak with a workforce expert about Columbia
How we count
Revelio Labs counts the people who work at each employer in a metro area, based on public professional profiles. Each count is the employer's headcount in the metro at the end of the month, and it includes the employer's subsidiaries. We count the whole metro area, not just the city limits. Our counts are statistical estimates, so they can come in below a company's reported headcount, especially where many workers are part-time or seasonal.
Coverage of hourly and frontline jobs
Some workers are more likely to have an online profile than others. White-collar workers show up more than blue-collar workers, and people in big cities show up more than people in smaller ones. To correct for this, Revelio weights its data by occupation, comparing it with official workforce statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For example, if only a quarter of workers in a role have a profile, each profile we see counts as about four people. Counts for employers with many hourly workers, such as retail, hospitality, and home care, depend most on this adjustment and carry the widest margin.
Cite this page
Revelio Labs. 'Largest Companies in Columbia.' Data as of June 2026. reveliolabs.com/locations/cities/columbia-sc-job-market
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