Spartanburg SC Business News
The metro economy was a $21.2 billion engine (2023). Unemployment ran at 4.2% through 2024, against a state rate of 4.1%. South Carolina is a right-to-work state.
What anchors the Spartanburg economy
- BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC employs about 11,000 locally — BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, XM Sports Activity Vehicles — largest BMW plant in the world by volume.
- Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS) employs about 10,800 locally — Non-profit health system; 6 hospital campuses including Spartanburg Medical Center (Level I Trauma), Pelham.
- Spartanburg County School Districts (D1–D7 combined) employs about 10,000 locally — K-12 public education across 7 school districts.
- Milliken & Company employs about 3,650 locally — Diversified manufacturer of textiles, performance materials, specialty chemicals, and floor coverings; global.
Beyond the headlines
The economy reaches into Healthcare and Medical Services, Logistics and Distribution, Advanced Materials and Textiles, and Higher Education and Workforce Training. The single largest taxpayer in the county is BMW Manufacturing Co. LLC.
Trade & infrastructure
- Inland Port Greer — Norfolk Southern rail, 187,638 containers, feeds Port of Charleston (North Charleston Terminal and Wando Welch Terminal).
- Foreign-Trade Zone #38 — Spartanburg County (FTZ #38) — federal duty-deferral zone for manufacturers and distributors here.
- Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP, 3,043,621 passengers/yr, 30 non-stop destinations).
Talent pipeline
Workforce flows out of Wofford College, University of South Carolina Upstate, Converse University, Spartanburg Methodist College, and Spartanburg Community College — feeding the engineering, healthcare, finance, and skilled-trade jobs that Spartanburg employers fill every year.
Who moves the room
Major institutional power centers shaping local business decisions include OneSpartanburg Inc., Wofford College, and University of South Carolina Upstate. HERESpartanburg covers their boards, agendas, and announcements.
Recent wins on the books
- Siemens (Spartanburg County) — $165M investment, 150 jobs (2026-03)
- OneSpartanburg portfolio (23 projects) — $745M investment, 1,220 jobs (2025-01)
- ZF Group (Gray Court) — $500M investment, 400 jobs (2024-02)
- BMW Manufacturing Co. — $1.7B investment, 300 jobs (2022-10)
How HERESpartanburg covers it
We track every layer of the Spartanburg economy: corporate relocations, retail openings, restaurant launches, workforce trends, commercial real estate, supplier announcements, hospital and university capital projects, and the local, state, and federal government decisions that shape how businesses here grow. If it affects business in Spartanburg County, it's HERE.
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May 15, 2026HERE'S What's Breaking in Business
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All Five AFL Spartanburg Plants Win 2026 SCMC Workplace Safety Awards
AFL, the Spartanburg-based global manufacturer of fiber optic cable and related network infrastructure products, earned Plant Safety Awards from South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce for all five of its Spartanburg County manufacturing facilities at the organization’s 2026 annual recognition ceremony, the company announced May 5. The SCMC Plant Safety Awards recognize facilities that have sustained […]
Airsys, a global provider of mission-critical cooling systems for data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure, officially opened its new global…
AFL, a Spartanburg-based global manufacturer of fiber optic cable and related infrastructure products, earned five Plant Safety Awards from South…
Airsys, a global provider of mission-critical cooling for data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure, officially opened its new global headquarters…
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