Staffing agencies in Charleston, SC: the market, a franchised public firm next door and what drives the price

This report is for Lowcountry employers choosing an agency, job seekers comparing them, and B2B sellers whose customers are staffing firms. It covers Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties.

Charleston staffing agencies in Census data

US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, for the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area (CBSA 16700), NAICS 56131 (Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services) and 56132 (Temporary Help Services):

The Census Bureau published the executive search employee count but flagged it as high-noise: the noise it adds to protect confidentiality moved it by 5% or more.

Why the counts look this way

Temp help is three-quarters of the locations and 96% of the jobs. A temp agency employs the people it places, so a welder on assignment at a North Charleston plant is on the agency's payroll and counted at its branch. That's why 101 temp branches average 64 employees, at an average pay of about $40,700. Placement and search offices place people on the client's payroll, so they stay small.

Size and location

With few locations, the Census Bureau withholds most classes for the combined codes. The temp help row is complete: 28 branches with 1 to 4 employees, 11 with 5 to 9, 5 with 10 to 19, 19 with 20 to 49, 15 with 50 to 99, 18 with 100 to 249 and 5 with 250 to 499. None reached 500.

All three county employee figures are published but flagged high-noise. The counts are establishments with paid employees, not companies, and they exclude self-employed recruiters and professional employer organizations (11 PEO locations, 653 employees).

The public staffing company headquartered here

HireQuest's revenue is mostly franchise royalties ($28,995,000, 94.6% of the total), so its revenue is a small share of the sales made under its brands. Its 10-K says "nearly all system-wide sales originated from franchisee-owned offices" and that it employed about 75,000 temporary employees during 2025 through its subsidiaries, which are the employer of record for the temps its franchises place. It also says 197 offices, its MRI network, were divested on 1 January 2026. For buyers and sellers the lesson is the same: a branded staffing office may be run by a local franchisee who makes their own decisions.

Kinds of agency in the Lowcountry

South Carolina rules

PEOs need a licence. Under S.C. Code 40-68-30, "a person may not engage in or offer professional employer services in this State without holding a license" from the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. Applications cost $100 for each controlling person plus $200 for a PEO or $300 for a PEO group, and licensees must report felony convictions or civil judgments against them within 30 days. Ask any PEO for its licence and check it with the department.

For a temp agency, check the entity with the Secretary of State, get certificates for workers' compensation and general liability, and ask which workers' compensation class the agency will use for your jobs, because that drives part of the price.

Worked example: why a forklift temp costs more than an office temp

Illustrative example. The agency, pay and workers' compensation rates are invented; real rates vary by insurer, class and claims history.

Cooper River Staffing (cooperriver.example) quotes two roles at the same $17.00 pay rate for a client in Summerville: a receptionist and a forklift operator, each full time (2,000 hours a year). Its workers' compensation cost is quoted per $100 of payroll.

That $0.81 an hour is one reason the same agency's markup can be 30% on office roles and 40% on warehouse roles. Ask the agency for the class code it will report, and make sure the job description matches the work: a "receptionist" who also drives a forklift belongs in the dearer class.

How to vet a Charleston agency

1. Confirm the entity with the South Carolina Secretary of State, and the brand: a franchise office is a separate business from the franchisor.
2. Get certificates for workers' compensation and general liability naming your company.
3. Ask for the class code and the pay rate and markup separately.
4. Ask about safety training for industrial roles and who supplies protective equipment.
5. Read ratings on ClearlyRated and call two clients with similar work.

If you're looking for work

Agencies are paid by the employers they staff, so don't pay to register. Ask whether you'll be employed by the local office or by a parent company: with franchised brands, the employer of record named on your pay stub may be a company headquartered elsewhere. SC Works, the state's public workforce system, is another route to local jobs.

Selling to Charleston staffing agencies

The market is small enough to know by name: 135 locations, of which 101 are temp branches and 57 of those have 20 or more employees. Franchise owners decide locally; corporate brands buy centrally.

Workers' compensation cost is a lever every industrial branch feels, so safety training, claims management and return-to-work services land well here. At volume, Bebop researches each agency and writes the angle to open with. For list method, see how to build a prospect list.

Subject: Your warehouse class code and next renewal

Hi [first name],

I saw [office] is staffing [role, e.g. forklift operators] for sites in [town].

Warehouse placements usually carry a higher workers' compensation rate than office work, and a few claims move it at renewal. Our [service] trains new temps on [topic] before day one and documents it for your carrier.

Could I show you what it did for an office your size?

[Your name]

Local sources

Next step: compare the Upstate in the report on staffing agencies in Greenville.