Carolinas Home to Top Job Growth Markets in Recent Years

Among the top 10 markets leading the nation for employment growth in recent years, four were in the Carolinas. Myrtle Beach was the U.S. leader for job growth since the onset of the pandemic, with an employment base that increased by 25.1% between February 2020 (the last month of normalcy before the pandemic decline began) and July 2025, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (If we examined a standard five-year growth point, job increases nationwide would be artificially inflated, given that July 2020 was an abnormally low point in the U.S. economy.) Charleston has seen its employment base swell by 17.7% since right before the pandemic, while Wilmington and Raleigh/Durham have enjoyed upturns of about 14% to 15%. Outside of the Carolinas, the other markets making the top job gain list were more spread across the country. Austin and Boise were the #2 and #3 performers, with job gains around 19% since the pandemic. Employment increases were closer to 16% in Huntsville and Fayetteville and a bit lower at around 13% to 14% in Provo and Lakeland.