Top Occupations in South Carolina by Political Donations

See which occupations donate the most in South Carolina. 100 occupations, $10.3M in donations from South Carolina.

The occupational breakdown of political donors in South Carolina reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within South Carolina, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.

#OccupationSouth Carolina TotalNational Total
1BUSINESS$5.4M$16.7M
2INVESTMENT MANAGER$1.0M$19.5M
3INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT$489K$13.5M
4DEVELOPER$453K$12.9M
5PROPRIETOR$320K$666K
6INSURANCE AGENT$242K$5.8M
7AUTOMOBILE DEALER$214K$1.6M
8TRIAL ATTORNEY$111K$453K
9ANESTHESIOLOGIST$105K$3.1M
10SALES MANAGER$97K$1.8M
11BOOKKEEPER$97K$2.6M
12PARALEGAL$92K$1.7M
13OPERATIONS$69K$1.5M
14CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER$63K$2.5M
15ASSET MANAGEMENT$57K$1.5M
16EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT$56K$474K
17RADIOLOGIST$55K$2.0M
18CRNA$54K$1.7M
19EXECUTIVE VP$53K$1.2M
20MAYOR$49K$1.1M
21RESTAURANTS$42K$389K
22GOVT RELATIONS$42K$272K
23OPTOMETRIST$41K$2.0M
24MASSAGE THERAPIST$40K$607K
25VINTNER$39K$426K
26GOVERNMENT RELATIONS CONSULTANT$37K$684K
27OWNER/PRESIDENT$35K$636K
28COMPTROLLER$32K$159K
29ORAL SURGEON$31K$920K
30WEALTH MANAGEMENT ADVISOR$30K$230K
31PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTOR$29K$1.6M
32STRATEGIST$29K$972K
33REGISTERED DIETITIAN$27K$248K
34ENTREPENEUR$26K$937K
35PSYCHOLOGY$24K$225K
36RESTAURANT$23K$662K
37TOURISM$22K$108K
38TRAINING$22K$280K
39BUILDING CONTRACTOR$22K$341K
40ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEON$21K$88K
41SOFTWARE EXEC$20K$115K
42IMPORTER$19K$246K
43OPERATING PARTNER$18K$489K
44PLANT MANAGER$17K$366K
45COFOUNDER$17K$710K
46SALES REP$16K$735K
47BUSINESS BROKER$15K$87K
48TRAVEL AGENT$15K$508K
49RESEARCH MANAGER$15K$693K
50ADVISER$14K$234K
51SOLDIER$14K$237K
52HOTELIER$14K$777K
53TRAVEL CONSULTANT$14K$129K
54BEST EFFORT$13K$420K
55NOVELIST$13K$317K
56EMPLOYEE$12K$400K
57CEO/OWNER$12K$26.0M
58POLICE$12K$113K
59MORTGAGE BROKER$12K$473K
60DIVISION PRESIDENT$12K$344K
61FREELANCE WRITER$11K$815K
62PRESIDENT/COO$11K$169K
63PERIODONTIST$11K$237K
64VP & CONTROLLER$10K$116K
65PLUMBING$10K$99K
66EVP & CFO$10K$271K
67PLAN PRESIDENT$10K$188K
68PURCHASING$9K$169K
69GENERAL CHAIRMAN/ORGANIZER$9K$77K
70COURT REPORTER$9K$343K
71AGRIBUSINESS$9K$251K
72TRAUMA SURGEON$9K$120K
73INNKEEPER$9K$145K
74CONSERVATION$9K$152K
75MUSIC$8K$439K
76PRODUCTION MANAGER$8K$237K
77FLEET MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR$8K$100K
78CROP INSURANCE$8K$219K
79ART TEACHER$7K$115K
80TRAVEL ADVISOR$7K$222K
81GROUP TRUCK RENTAL MANAGER$7K$74K
82MUSIC DIRECTOR$7K$107K
83MARINER$7K$227K
84MFG$7K$193K
85FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER$6K$102K
86NATIONAL SALES MANAGER$6K$106K
87HOUSE WIFE$6K$132K
88TOXICOLOGIST$6K$228K
89OFFICE ADMIN$6K$102K
90FNP$6K$97K
91COMPANY OWNER$6K$84K
92AVP, FIELD OPERATIONS$5K$69K
93CLO$5K$283K
94NURSING$5K$129K
95SALES CONSULTANT$5K$154K
96COTTON MERCHANT$5K$152K
97VENTURE PARTNER$5K$2.6M
98FABRICATOR$5K$71K
99SYSTEM ANALYST$5K$151K
100MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN$5K$88K

Frequently Asked Questions

What occupations donate the most in South Carolina?

The top political donors by occupation in South Carolina typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 100 tracked occupations, South Carolina residents have contributed $10.3M to federal campaigns.

Does South Carolina's occupation mix differ from the national average?

Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the South Carolina and National Total columns to spot these differences.

How are occupation categories determined?

Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.

More South Carolina Data

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