South Carolina is one of the largest exporter of cars in the U.S and its manufacturing sector employs about a tenth of non-farm jobs. Despite being particularly exposed to Trump’s protectionist trade policies, its economy is also growing. Germany’s BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Japan’s Honda, Sweden’s Volvo and the nation’s largest airplane maker, Boeing, each have facilities in the state. And the unemployment rate among African Americans dropped to 6.3% in 2018 from 7.5% in 2016. That’s important for Democrats because the group made up about 60% of Democratic voters three years ago.
Economist Take: “In South Carolina, to the average consumer, the data would suggest that things are looking pretty good right now,” said Joey Von Nessen, a research economist at the University of South Carolina. “Consumers are looking at three things: jobs, incomes and prices.”
This article provided by Bloomberg News.