Greenville Profile

Located between Atlanta and Charlotte on the I-85 business corridor and equidistant between New York and Florida on the East coast, the Greenville area offers access to all major markets in the United States. The Greenville MSA is the most populated region in South Carolina with more than 1,326,073 residents according to the 2010 Census.

Strong Business Climate

Over the past decade, the Greenville area has attracted more than $6 billion in new business investments and 43,000 new jobs. This growth has allowed for more businesses to be created per capita than any other region in the southeastern United States. In 1998, more than 90 percent of the capital invested in Greenville County came from the expansion of existing businesses.

Taxes and Incentives

To create a pro-business environment, Greenville offers low taxes and attractive incentives to both existing and new businesses. 

Taxes:

• 5 percent corporate income tax rate, one of the lowest in the United States.
• Sales and use tax rate of 6 percent.
• Local property taxes in Greenville County remain the lowest in South Carolina.

Incentives:

• Job tax credit up to $2,500 per job. 
• Five-year property tax abatement for qualified companies.
  
• Fee-in-lieu-of property taxes incentive can reduce property taxes by over 40 percent.
  
• Job development credits allow companies to retain up to 5 percent of their employees’ state tax withholdings for 15 years.
  
• No inventory and intangible taxes. 
• Corporate headquarters relocation incentives.
  
• Employee recruitment and retraining incentive offered through S. C. Center for Advanced Technology Training.
  

A Skilled, Flexible Work Force

• More engineers per capita than any other community in the U.S.
  
• A work force that has doubled in the last 10 years to more than 500,000, and
  
• Over 70 corporate headquarters – more than any other location in South Carolina. 

Infrastructure

Greenville is the location of choice for many businesses because of the community’s well developed infrastructure.  Three interstate highways offer easy access to the South, Midwest and all major markets on the Eastern Seaboard. Over 60 percent of the goods shipped through the Port of Charleston, the second largest container port on the East coast, come from the Greenville area.  Additionally, the GSP International Airport is the largest in South Carolina and boasts two federal inspection stations consisting of customs, immigration and agriculture and offers many carriers, including Southwest, with direct flights to numerous business destinations.   

Greenville Schools

Greenville’s school system is the largest in South Carolina and is ranked 62 in the United States. The district serves more than 55,000 students and has won numerous national, state and local awards.  Unique to Greenville’s education system is the diversified learning opportunities available for students that include: 

• German and Japanese Saturday schools and the only full-time French school in the Southeast.
• 12 magnet schools offering special learning opportunities
• Roper Mountain Science Center with the eighth-largest refractory telescope in the United States
• Year-round Governor’s School for the Arts
• International Baccalaureate Program at one public and one private school. 

Higher Education

For undergraduate and graduate studies there are 12 colleges and universities in the Greenville area that graduate more than 9,000 students annually.  Clemson University, Furman University, Bob Jones University and University of South Carolina-Spartanburg are the largest universities in the region.  Greenville Technical College is the largest in South Carolina and is ranked 10th in the United States. Greenville also has the University Center, a consortium of nine colleges and universities that offers programs in a central Greenville location. 

Recreation and Living

Rich history, scenic terrain, moderate climate, and investment in the arts make Greenville one of the South’s most attractive cities.  An afternoon drive will take you to the mountains, ocean, lakes, waterfalls and whitewater rapids.  The area’s scenery and weather let residents enjoy outdoor activities year-round.  Spectator sports in the area include major college athletics and minor league soccer, arena football, and baseball.  Two annual pro-am tournaments feature golf celebrities with ties to Greenville like Jay Haas, Brad Faxon, Betsy King and Dottie Pepper.  Greenville also hosts the BMW Classic event each spring. Whether golfing, hiking, fishing or gardening, Greenville is a community with a variety of opportunities for great recreational living.

Arts and Entertainment

Greenville also boasts year-round arts and entertainment opportunities that range from theater, ballet and Greenville Symphony performances to art galleries, festivals and top pop and country concerts.  While the Peace Center for the Performing Arts welcomes world renowned performers and popular Broadway shows to the area, just a few blocks away, the 16,000-seat BI-LO Center offers residents major concerts and events.  Greenville’s art galleries and museums display an impressive range of visual art including the largest sacred art collection in the Western Hemisphere and an extensive collection of work by artist Andrew Wyeth.
 
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