Labor Force and Employment

Cherokee County Employment by Sector¹

Cherokee County Major Employers2

Company Name	Major Product	Employees
Nestle Frozen Food Company	Frozen Prepared Food	1,583
The Timken Company	Tapered Roller Bearings	1,000
Encompass	Turnkey Contractor	700
Milliken & Company Magnolia Finishing Plant	Dyeing and Finishing Cotton Fabrics	600
Hamrick Mills	Print Cloth, Shade Cloth, and Sheeting	431
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.	School Bus & Motor Home Chassis	348
Hamrick Industries	Textile Cutting & Sewing	265
Springfield LLC	Broadwoven Fabrics	246
Prime Outlets at Gaffney	Factory Outlet Shopping	100 Shops

Average Hourly Wages (HW) – Upstate South Carolina3

Occupational Title	Min. HW ($)	Avg. HW ($)	Max. HW ($)
Assemblers and Fabricators, except Machine, Electrical,    Electronic, and Pre	7.58	9.03	10.02
Combination Machine Tool Setters and Set-Up Operators, Metal and Plastic	12.32	13.64	14.66
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers, Precision	7.45	8.60	9.65
Electricians	11.65	14.34	16.32
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators	8.58	10.66	12.60
Machine Assemblers	10.07	10.24	11.01
Machine Tool Cutting Operators and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	11.73	11.92	13.06
Machinery Maintenance Mechanics	13.32	15.79	18.04
Machinists	10.42	12.93	15.06
Precision Inspectors, Testers, and Graders	8.47	10.75	12.89
Tool and Die Makers	13.28	15.45	17.82
Truck Drivers, Light, Include Delivery and Route Workers	7.49	9.62	10.97
Welders and Cutters	9.99	12.19	14.48
Welding Machine Operators and Tenders	9.72	11.84	13.80
All Other Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand	6.68	8.01	8.68

Cherokee County Employment Labor Force⁴

	Civilian Labor Force	Employment	Unemployment	% Unemployment
1990	22,930	21,620	1,130	5.7
1992	23,280	21,590	1,390	6.0
1994	24,010	22,820	1,190	5.0
1996	24,892	23,598	1,294	5.2
1998	25,274	24,391	883	3.5
2000	26,421	25,158	1,263	4.8
2002 (June)	27,510	25,392	2,118	7.7

Cherokee County Employment Labor Force⁵

Cherokee County Employment Labor Force⁶

Within a 15 mile radius:	77,637	Males — 45.6%	Females — 53.5%
Within a 25 mile radius:	238,772	Males — 46.5%	Females — 53.5%

Cherokee County Educational Attainment (Ages 16-69)⁷

	15 mile radius	25 mile radius
High School Graduates	60.8%	62.7%
1-3 Years of College	30.0%	32.6%
College Graduates and above	11.3%	13.3%

1: Source: South Carolina Employment Commission 2000
2: Source: South Carolina Industrial Directory 1999-2000
3: Source: 1999 Occupational Employment and Wages by Substate Regions
4: Source: South Carolina Security Commission 8/02
5: Source: South Carolina Security Commission 1/02
6: Source: Appalachian Council of Government 8/02
7: Source: Appalachian Council of Government 8/02

Cherokee County Development Board
225 South Limestone Street
Gaffney, SC 29340
864-489-5721