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Life sciences continues to be the fastest-growing industry in South Carolina.
The industry has experienced 42% growth in the state since 2017 and has an annual economic impact of $25.7 billion, according to the South Carolina Biotechnology Innovation Organization or SCBio.
Greenville has specifically emerged as a thriving innovation hub for medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies within the life sciences sector. Several life sciences companies have relocated or announced plans to move into the Upstate over the last several years.
The most recent example is Samaritan Biologics, a Tennessee-based medical-technology company specializing in human amniotic allograft products. The company plans to open a $5 million manufacturing facility in Greenville County and create 85 new jobs in the market.
Sam Konduros, president and CEO of Greenville City Economic Development Corp., said life science companies pay some of the highest salaries and wages of any industry – well above the average pay rates in Greenville. According to SCBio, the average wage of a life sciences job is $87,369, 79% higher than the average wage in the state.
Economic development and industry leaders point to one key asset that makes Greenville appealing for life sciences companies: the quality of local talent. Greenville ranked among the top 20 markets in the nation for life sciences manufacturing talent, according to a report released by CBRE in June 2024.
Max Stewart, CEO of the Greenville Area Development Corp., explained there is a strong talent pipeline coming out of the 26 local colleges and universities in the Upstate. Some main examples include Clemson University, University of South Carolina Upstate, Furman University and Greenville Technical College.
Read more about life sciences in the Upstate of South Carolina
When helping companies move to the area, Stewart and his team encourage the life sciences companies to recruit locally and partner with higher education institutions to ensure they are producing the type of talent they need.
“If we aren’t producing the right talent, we’re not going to recruit these companies,” Stewart said. “We do a really good job of that in the Upstate of tailoring the students to the companies because that’s who needs the workforce.”
James Chappell, president and CEO of SCBio, explained that not only does Upstate South Carolina have great access to talent, but the quality of life for that talent is also strong. This is helpful for the life sciences companies to recruit talent to stay in the area.
“I think it’s easy to recruit talent to Greenville. It’s not a hard sell once you get people to come,” Chappell said. “Once you start building that community, it just kind of snowballs.”
Talent pipeline
Approximately 923 degrees in biological and biomedical sciences were completed at colleges and universities in the Greenville area in 2024.
- Bachelor’s degrees: 742
- Master’s degrees: 149
- Doctorate: 32
Source: CBRE’s U.S. Life Sciences Talent Trends 2024
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By the numbers – South Carolina’s life sciences industry
$25.7 billion annual economic impact
$87,369 average wage
87,000 people directly or indirectly employed by life science companies
42% industry growth since 2017
2 times faster employment growth than the Southeastern average
Source: SCBio
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