The University of South Carolina has been named one of America’s Best-In-State Employers for 2025 by Forbes. This honor affirms USC’s continued commitment to providing top-notch resources and experiences for the over 10,000 faculty and staff across the USC system.

“Our university is able to fulfill its educational mission to the state of South Carolina only through the dedicated contributions of our excellent faculty and staff members,” USC President Michael Amiridis said. “Their daily contributions are essential to the success of the university and its students, and this recognition is a strong indicator that they feel respected and appreciated for the important work that they do.”

USC has always had a commitment to excellence when it comes to employee relations and benefits but has taken strides in recent years to enhance those.

In 2023, the university raised its minimum hourly wage across the system for approximately 600 full-time staff members.

USC’s Division of Human Resources completed a compensation study in 2022 that led to the implementation of market-driven job and pay structures to better align USC employee pay with salaries in the market, and in 2023, the university raised its minimum hourly wage across the USC system for approximately 600 full-time staff members as well.

That study also led not only to the development of an exhaustive plan to attract and retain talent but also led to a roughly $4.3 million investment to raise USC employee salaries.

USC employees are also eligible for a variety of perks and discounts that include scholarships for employees’ dependents, a newly revamped tuition-assistance program and early childhood education support for children of employees.

“Being recognized as one of the state's top employers reflects the commitment, expertise and passion of our entire university community," said Caroline Agardy, vice president for the Division of Human Resources. "Our employees are the guiding force behind our success, and this recognition reflects well on our efforts to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported and empowered.”

As of 2024, USC employs 10,432 faculty and staff members across the state, including 8,114 employees on the Columbia campus alone.

The four-year institutions in the USC system – Aiken, Beaufort and Upstate – combine to employ 1,760 faculty and staff members, with 558 more at USC’s two-year campuses: Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter and Union.

Forbes, in collaboration with Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, selected America’s Best-In-State Employers 2025 through an independent survey from a sample of over 160,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 500 people within the U.S.

Over 2 million employer evaluations were considered. The final score is determined through two evaluation channels: direct assessments provided by employees, and public feedback from friends, family members, and industry peers.

The full list of Best-In-State employers can be viewed on Forbes website.