About

Greenville

LOCATION

Greenville is located in the northwestern corner of the state of South Carolina. Greenville and the surrounding areas, situated at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, are commonly referred to as the Upstate.

· Easily accessible from Interstate highways 85, 185, and 385, and U.S. highways 25, 123, 29, 276.

· Centrally located between Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC, and between Miami, FL and New York, NY.

ECONOMIC PROFILE

Business Climate

· In terms of domestic product, the Southeast is the fourth largest economic region in the nation.

· South Carolina is an "employment at will" state, with less than 1% of county residents members of a union.

· The Upstate is a designated foreign trade zone area, and boasts the highest level of foreign capital investment per capita in the nation, and is home to more than 240 international firms from 23 nations, including BMW, Hitachi and Michelin.

· Greenville maintains a low unemployment rate (4.4% as of December 2004). Click here to view wage data.

· Greenville maintains a Standard and Poor's AA+ bond rating, (AAA for the county), and has imposed no city millage increase since 1993 or no tax anticipation note since 1996 to meet short-term cash needs.

· Major Businesses: Perrigo Company of South Carolina, Greenville Hospital System, Fluor Corporation, Ernst and Young, IBM, Charter Communications, Bowater, Dunlop Slazenger Group, Liberty Corporation, Greenville News Piedmont, Bank of America and Central Carolina Bank.

2004 FIGURES

Over $100 million in annual private construction investment for the sixth consecutive year. Click here to view building permit data.

Over $5.0 billion in gross business sales.

86.3% office occupancy rate in the Central Business District, with a steady increase over the past seven years.

Over $221 million in total assessed property value.

DEMOGRAPHIC

(Source: 2000 Census)

Population: 56,002 (26,506 males, 29,496 females). Click here to view population chart.

Population over the age of 18: 20,828 males, 23,998 females.

Median age: 34.6 years.
Number of households: 24,000.
Median household annual income: $33,144.
Average household annual income: $52,039.
Per Capita annual income: $23,242.
Labor force: 35,000.

The MSA area work force has doubled in the last ten years to more than 400,000.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Greenville offers a moderate climate with a full change of seasons.

Average annual temperature: 59 F
Average rainfall: 50.45 in
Average snowfall: 1.20 in
Average January minimum 35.1 F
Average July maximum 96.8 F

Greenville's public school system is the largest in the state, and includes eight magnet academies for special study at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Over nine colleges and universities are located in and within close proximity of Greenville.

The Greenville Hospital System is the state's most comprehensive health care provider and one the Southeast's leading medical facilities.

Greenville is the cultural and entertainment center for the Upstate, including an award winning downtown, a major performing arts center, a 17,000 seat arena, a 368,000 square foot exhibition center, nationally recognized museum collections, and 39 parks, playgrounds and recreation centers.