Best In South Carolina Real Estate™: Columbia

Columbia, SC is sending 700 households annually to Mecklenburg County, NC—more than any other South Carolina county receives. This is not a sign of decline, but a strategic outflow of talent to one of the Carolinas’ most dynamic economies. The data, from ALEX Intelligence’s 2026 migration analysis, shows that the Midlands is a net exporter of skilled professionals, not a declining market. For real estate strategists, this signals that retention—rather than acquisition—is the new frontier. How is your market adapting to the flight-to-opportunity trend? Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Slide 1: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=142049278; Slide 2: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=142049410; Slide 3: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=142524863; Slide 4: w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=142049391 Households Moving Out to a Single County, top 10 (ALEX Intelligence — U.S. Internal Revenue Service 2023) #1 Mecklenburg County, NC — 700 #2 Greenville County, SC — 575 #3 Charleston County, SC — 535 #4 Aiken County, SC — 440 #5 Newberry County, SC — 400 #6 Sumter County, SC — 393 #7 Orangeburg County, SC — 356 #8 York County, SC — 295 #9 Horry County, SC — 269 #10 Berkeley County, SC — 245 Source: https://alex-companies.com/data/2026-10-30-columbia-sc-mig-out-dest View and join any or all of our communities — AI, quantum, and real estate: https://alex-companies.com/reports/linkedin-groups If there's an AI, quantum, or real estate community you'd like to see us convene, tell us — this portfolio grows by request. Real Estate Strategy & Intelligence Leader. Democratized Blue Ocean Strategist & Operator. Diane Hart Alexander, MBA, MHA Chair & CEO, ALEX Companies Designated Broker, Alexander Tiffany Southwest, LLC dba ALEX.realestate, et.al. Texas License #574877-B · Broker License #565194-BB [email protected] · +1 713.591.9902