Online CEDS

In its capacity as the designated Economic Development District for Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, and Sumter counties in South Carolina, the Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments (the COG) develops and maintains the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, or CEDS, for the four-county region.

Adopted 9/12/2022, the CEDS is a five-year plan for developing the region's economy. It follows a locally based, regionally driven planning process, engaging local officials, community leaders, public institutions, private sector enterprises, and other key stakeholders. The CEDS uses high-quality data on regional economic conditions as its base, and identifies both the strengths, and the weaknesses, of the region's economy. With these inputs, and the leadership of a local steering committee, the CEDS outlines a strategic plan of action for achieving economic growth. By taking a comprehensive view of economic development in the region, the CEDS serves as a "roadmap" for considering economic opportunities the region should pursue, and challenges to the economy for which the region should prepare.

The Santee-Lynches region (approx. pop. 218,000) is located in central South Carolina, just east of the state capital, Columbia. Charlotte, North Carolina to the north and Charleston to the south are within a short drive of the region.

At just over 2,400 square miles, the Santee-Lynches region is slightly larger than the state of Delaware. The region’s four counties -- Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, and Sumter -- have long been known for agricultural productivity, with some lands under cultivation since the early 1700s. The region’s prime agricultural land, in abundant supply, was a major factor in initial development and through the late 20th century the area remained primarily agricultural. While agriculture and forestry remain an important segment of the economy, manufacturing and retail have become dominant employment sectors. Much of the anticipated growth in the region is tied to the establishment of manufacturing facilities in each county and to the advancing urbanization from the Columbia metropolitan area. The principal urbanized centers in the region are the cities of Sumter, Camden, Bishopville, and Manning. One of the largest military installations in the country, Shaw Air Force Base, operated by the USAF Air Combat Command, is located just west of the city of Sumter. The map below illustrates these features. As of 2021, total GDP in the region was $7,101,480,000 (Chmura JobsEQ 2022).

The Congaree Biosphere Region, which includes Congaree National Park, includes portions of Sumter and Clarendon Counties in the Santee-Lynches region, as shown in the map below. This UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve contains globally significant, old-growth bottomland hardwood forest and significant cultural and historic resources. Recreation and learning opportunities abound in the Congaree Biosphere Region and the COG is pleased to be a member of the CBR Advisory Council.

The year 2026 will mark the 250 ^th  anniversary of the American Revolution. As the home of abundant Revolution-era history, the Santee-Lynches region is looking forward to celebrating this event. Visitors to the region can take advantage of numerous opportunities to explore this chapter in the region’s history, including the Camden Revolutionary War visitors center, murals of Revolutionary War events in cities and towns throughout the region, and historical sites, monuments, and markers commemorating Revolutionary-War related events and places.

Population characteristics for the region are shown at right. The population is projected to grow by 18.74% by the year 2035, to more than 259,000 people. The median age in the region has risen, up to 41.45 from 39.0 in 2017. The over 65 population has also risen, up to 39,527 from 34,488 in 2017. However, the age 25 - 64 (prime working age) population has fallen, to 111,737 from 112,469 in 2017. Approximately 18% of the population lives below the federal poverty level (Chmura JobsEQ 2022).

The chart at right shows year 2021 population estimates for the region and its counties. According to these estimates, the region's population is approximately 218,192 persons. The population continues a declining trend, down slightly from 218,364 in 2020 and 223,344 in 2010. Among the counties of the region, Kershaw County has experienced the most population growth with a 6% increase since 2010 and 9.75% increase projected for 2030.

The racial composition of the region is shown at right. Since 2010, those residents identifying as Black alone have fallen slightly from 42% to 40.3%. Likewise, those identifying as White alone have also fallen, from 53% to 51.5%. The percentage of residents identifying as two or more races, however, has risen, up to 4.74% from 1.55%.

Housing characteristics for the region are shown at right. Median values have increased from $104,511 in 2017 to $119,387. With 1537 permits issued, residential construction has risen considerably since 2016, when only 647 permits were issued. Owner occupancy has declined slightly, to 72% from 73.2% in 2017. Households without a vehicle have risen slightly, to 8.275% from 7.7% in 2017.

The median household income in the Santee-Lynches is $47,318 (Chmura Jobs EQ 2022).

Educational achievement for the region is shown at right. While those with at least a high school diploma has increased to 83.3% from 80.2% in 2017, the percentage of residents with some college training has fallen considerably from 48.9% to 41.6%. Adults with an associate degree or higher has also fallen, down to 26.8% from 40.4% in 2017. Of individuals 25 to 64 in the Santee-Lynches, 20.0% have a bachelor’s degree or higher which compares with 34.3% in the nation.

The region has a civilian labor force of 95,390 with a labor force participation rate of 55.8%. The chart below contains the percentage of workers in the region employed in each industry. Most workers are employed in the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry (15.2%), followed by Retail Trade (14.4%), and Manufacturing (13.9%). The healthcare industry has recently become the top employer in the region. This shift is not unlike other rural regions across the country where production-related and manufacturing sectors are being displaced by healthcare and other service-oriented fields (Chmura JobsEQ 2023Q4).

Sectors in the region paying the highest average wages per worker are Management of Companies and Enterprises ($102,066), Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction ($91,834), and Finance and Insurance ($72,881). Over the next 5 years, employment in the region is projected to contract by approximately 1250 jobs. The fastest growing sector is projected to be Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction with a 0.5% year-over-year rate of growth. The strongest forecasts by number of jobs over this period are projected for Health Care and Social Assistance, with an additional 143 jobs, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, with an additional 21 jobs, and Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, with an additional 12 jobs (Chmura JobsEQ 2023Q2).

The chart below shows industry clusters in the region. A cluster is a group of inter-related businesses, production chains, and supporting services. The chart identifies a total of nineteen clusters for the Santee-Lynches region. The chart is color-coded, with each color corresponding to a different industry cluster. Larger circles represent greater employment in the cluster; the Health cluster is the largest with 10,891 employees. Several of the clusters in the region are production- or manufacturing-related, such as the Textiles and Leather, Food Manufacturing, Chemicals, Machinery, Metal and Product Manufacturing, and Wood and Paper clusters. The chart also suggests that of the nineteen clusters in the region, Health and Utilities are the two clusters forecasted for the largest annual growth in employment over the next ten years.

The transportation system, including roads, rail, and public transit, is a key component of the region's infrastructure. The COG works with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and other transportation stakeholders to conduct transportation planning for the region. The  Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)  identifies needs and prioritizes projects by category across the four-county region. Two important transportation projects currently in process in the region are the Bishopville Truck Route in Lee County and the Black River Road project in Kershaw County. Public transit operations are another component of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the  Santee Wateree Regional Transit Authority  (SWRTA) and Lee County Trans.

The major sewer systems in the region are shown in the map below. Centralized sewer systems are another important piece of the region's infrastructure. However, as the map shows, much of region remains unserved by centralized sewer systems, an important concern for economic development. The  Santee-Lynches Regional Water Quality Management Plan 2022  identifies the goal of expanding central sewer service in the region where feasible. As an example of this, Kershaw County is currently in the process of upgrading its wastewater treatment facility from 2 million gallons/day capacity to 4 million gallons/day. Similarly, the Town of Turbeville has identified expanded sewer along Highway 301 as a means of facilitating residential growth in this area.

Broadband internet networks are yet another critical component of the regional infrastructure. The maps below show variation in broadband capacity throughout the region. Of particular concern are the areas shaded in red, orange, brown, and beige, which represent locations that have no access to high-speed internet service.

The map below shows the location of Opportunity Zones in the region including needed projects and key economic assets within them.

In the Camden/Lugoff area Opportunity Zones in Kershaw County, there is a need for flood mitigation infrastructure and the completion of the Black River Road transportation project.

In the Opportunity Zones centered around Bishopville in Lee County, water and wastewater and broadband internet infrastructure is needed, along with the completion of the Bishopville Truck Route. Economic assets in these Opportunity Zones include agricultural lands, land suitable for development, and solar energy potential.

In the Opportunity Zones stretching between Sumter and Manning in Sumter and Clarendon Counties, wastewater and broadband internet infrastructure is needed. Economic assets in these Zones include agricultural land and land suitable for development.

To maintain a prosperous economy, the region must be resilient, that is able to prevent, withstand, and rapidly recover from major shocks such as natural disasters, climate change, public health crises, like the recent Coronavirus pandemic, and man-made events, such as economic downturns or the loss of a major employer. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, “Resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, businesses, institutions, and governments to adapt to changing conditions and to prepare for, withstand, and rapidly recover from disruptions to everyday life, such as hazard events."  The COG has undertaken several projects to promote regional economic resilience including a study of broadband internet service in the region, a study of industry gaps in the region, the  "Green Infrastructure" plan , and the  2020-2025 Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan . The COG's main Economic Resilience efforts are comprised of Planning and Implementation Activities and Providing Critical Information.

Planning for and implementing economic resilience involves identifying vulnerabilities, setting goals, and undertaking relevant resilience-oriented projects.

Key vulnerabilities in the region include:

• Difficulty competing with more developed/urbanized regions
• The absence of a four-year university/research and development institution
• Difficulty attracting/retaining highly skilled professionals
• Infrastructure deficiencies (transportation, sewer, broadband)
• An undersupply of early-stage risk capital
• Areas prone to some natural hazards, primarily flooding

Resilience-building goals for the region include:

• Facilitate increased engagement with USC Sumter and the entire Central Carolina Technical College system
• Complete roadway, broadband, and sewer facility upgrade projects, and enhance the region's public transit capabilities
• Complete current CDBG-funded projects currently underway for municipalities in the region and continue to pursue future projects and funding
• Develop an updated Hazard Mitigation Plan for the region, in partnership with FEMA, SCEMD, and county Emergency Managers and other stakeholders
• Develop strategies for attracting both high-skill professionals and venture capital sources

The Action Plan below includes a number of projects that address vulnerabilities in the region's economy and seeks to achieve the resilience-building goals identified here.

The Santee-Lynches Council of Governments serves as a key source of information on the regional economy. The COG also serves as convener of stakeholders for collaborating on a wide range of issues with regional significance. Through standing, bi-monthly full COG Board of Directors meetings, and monthly Board of Directors Executive Committee meetings, a timely flow of information on topics of concern for the region is ensured. In addressing challenges, including ones relating to economic resilience, the COG fosters greater understanding of regional issues and opportunities and facilitates mutual effort and consensus among its counties and municipalities.

Assessing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the regional economy is a key step in creating the CEDS. The graphic below presents the results of the SWOT Analysis that was conducted for the Santee-Lynches region.

The analysis suggests that the region has a number of strengths on which it can capitalize, including its manufacturing capabilities, agriculture and forestry assets, access to interstate highways, proximity to large and growing urban areas, and natural amenities. Gaps in skills, R&D, and the industry mix are key weaknesses. Changes in industry, the national and global economy, and worker mobility are important threats to the regional economy, while new technologies, improved infrastructure, an expanding healthcare sector, new institutional relationships, and quality of life enhancements represent opportunities for further developing the regional economy.

The Strategic Direction contained within the CEDS serves as a guide for economic development in the region over the next five years. For the Santee-Lynches region, this strategic direction points toward increased capacity building efforts and an asset-based approach focusing on the strengths of the region identified in the SWOT analysis above. These strengths include:

• Robust manufacturing capabilities
• An extensive agriculture and forestry sector
• Abundant developable land, including certified industrial sites
• Access to two major interstates and to nearby metropolitan areas
• Abundant natural amenities
• Expanding healthcare and services sectors

In addition to building on these strengths, the region's strategic direction must also incorporate a future vision for the region. The CEDS accomplishes this using a Vision Statement. A vision statement is an aspirational statement of the future conditions of a community. The following vision statement describes the ideal socioeconomic situation in the Santee-Lynches region of the future:

"In the next twenty years the Santee-Lynches region will expand prosperity for its residents as an innovative, business-friendly region, where a high-standard quality of life is enjoyed and community health, wealth, and well-being are ensured."  

Based on the above background summary of the region, resilience needs, regional strengths and assets, strategic direction, and future vision for the region; the following goals for achieving the prosperity aspirations of the region are outlined here. As the Economic Development District for the Santee-Lynches region, the COG will focus on these goals to guide its economic development activities over the next five years. Regional partners are encouraged to share in this effort.

Goal # 1 for economic development in the Santee-Lynches region is facilitating economic innovation. Facilitating the emergence of economic innovation requires aligning appropriate resources, services, and support. The outcome of economic innovation is to enable new business formation and new methods of production, in service to economic expansion and prosperity, generally, for the region.

Goal # 2 for economic development is improving the state of critical infrastructure in the region. Physical infrastructure capacity plays an important role in regional economic development success. The ability to attract and retain both companies and people is largely predicated on the presence of adequate infrastructure. Roads, rail, water and wastewater infrastructure, buildable land, and high-speed broadband are fundamental to commerce. Availability of these assets dictates where business will form and flourish and enables connectivity and linkages among residents and businesses within the region and between our region and nearby metropolitan areas.

Goal # 3 for economic development in the Santee-Lynches region is enhancing the skills and capabilities of the region's workforce. Talent shortages are among the biggest threats to successful economic development. To address the current and future needs of businesses, industries, and institutions in the region, it is critical to support workforce development, talent retention, and talent recruitment efforts.

Finally, Goal # 4 for economic development is to create an exceptional quality of life in the Santee-Lynches region. Healthy, vibrant, and resilient communities enhance the overall quality of life throughout the region. Places that are a desirable location, not just for working, but also for living, are places where economic development efforts can thrive.

The CEDS Action Plan identifies objectives for achieving the strategic goals outlined in the Strategic Direction section above. As the Economic Development District for the Santee-Lynches region, the COG will use the objectives discussed below to achieve the strategic goals and guide its economic development activities over the next five years. Regional partners are encouraged to share in this effort.

• Develop regional venture capital investor platforms
• Establish a network of business mentors accessible to new startups (via partnerships with area Chambers of Commerce)
• Leverage the resources of the University of South Carolina Office of Economic Engagement and the Central Carolina Technical College Foundation for supporting entrepreneurs
• Develop business incubators, co-work spaces, and “soft-landing zones” for new industries

• Expand centralized sewer service throughout the region and implement other policy goals of the Regional Water Quality Management Plan
• Complete Bishopville Truck Route and Black River Road projects and continue to recruit future transportation projects through the Long-Range Transportation Planning (LRTP) process
• Activate the Memorandum of Understanding between the COG and the SC Office of Regulatory Staff on expanding broadband service into underserved areas of the region
• Expand certified industrial sites throughout the region, including with completed speculative buildings on site for new industries

• Expand offerings at all Central Carolina Technical College campuses throughout the region
• Spotlight regional Workforce Development activities and secure expanded funding
• Continue "hire-me" events, employment expos, and marketing and recruitment activities
• Expand internship and apprenticeship opportunities through the Workforce Experience Internship Program and the WORKFirst Initiative
• Support Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) summer camps, clubs, and extracurricular activities

• Encourage local governments to complete Comprehensive Plans for guiding the future development of their communities
• Undertake a region-wide housing attainability study to better understand the scope of this issue in our communities with a web presence to provide these results
• With regional partners, update the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan to provide strategies for mitigating the impacts of natural hazards with a web presence to provide these results
• Undertake a region-wide cultural resource inventory and a regional tourism and recreation master plan for strategic planning and development purposes with a web presence to provide these results
• Undertake market studies for all municipalities in the region
• Continue regional environmental planning activities including Section 208 Water Quality Managment Planning with SCDHEC, green infrastructure planning, and brownfields identification and cleanup through the SC Brownfields Environmental Site Testing program
• Increase public awareness of the quality of health care facilities in the region

The CEDS Evaluation Framework identifies performance measures to evaluate the implementation on the objectives in the Action Plan and the achievement of the strategic goals and vision. The evaluation framework helps answer the questions “How are we doing?” and “What can we do better?”

In 2019, the region's Gross Domestic Product was $6.5B. In 2022, it had grown to $7.5B. In 2020, approximately 2.4% of the region's workforce was employed in professional and technical service occupations. In 2023, this sector had grown to employ 3.0% of the workforce. In 2009, there were a total of 4,047 business establishments in the region. Ten years later, in 2019, this number had grown to 4,227. Achieving the region's goal of facilitating economic innovation depends on growth in these areas. The CEDS intends that past performance in these areas will continue in the future.

Progress continues with key transportation projects in the region, namely the Bishopville Truck Route in Lee County and the Black River Road project in Kershaw County. The memorandum of agreement with the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff to assist with broadband internet access in the region will be activated by next year. Expanding wastewater treatment and sewer infrastructure in the region also continues, with Clean Water Act-compliant projects increasing from 17 in 2020 to 22 in 2023. Improving critical infrastructure in the region is an important goal for economic development. The CEDS intends that performance in these areas will continue to improve in the future.

In 2020, 30.8% of the 25–64-year-olds in the region held an associate's or higher degree; in 2023, the proportion had risen 31.7%. In 2020, the labor force participation rate for the region was 55.2%. In 2023, the rate had risen to 55.8%. Closing gaps in critical occupational skills will reflect an enhanced workforce. In 2023, there is an undersupply of 237 workers with the necessary manufacturing skills, and an undersupply of 180 workers with the necessary Microsoft Office skills. Enhancing workforce skills is a key goal for economic development in the region. The CEDS intends that performance in these areas will continue to improve in the future.

Between 2010 and 2020, population growth declined by 3% in Clarendon County, increased by 6% in Kershaw County, declined by 9% in Lee County, and declined by 1% in Sumter County. Comprehensive plans guide physical growth and development of communities. In 2023, all counties and nearly all municipalities in the region have an updated comprehensive plan or have an update in process. The region's hazard mitigation plan assists communities in the event of a natural disaster. Under a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the region's plan will be updated in 2024.

In 2020, approximately 1% of the region's workforce was employed in the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector. In 2023, this number had declined slightly to 0.9%. In 2020, 15.7% of the workforce was employed in the health sector. In 2023, the number had fallen slightly to 15.0%. In 2020, 8.7% of workers were employed in the accommodations and food services sector. In 2023, this proportion remained the same at 8.7%. The CEDS intends that performance in these important aspects of regional quality of life will continue to improve in the future.