South Carolina Is a
Growing International
Real Estate Market.
International migration grew 671% since 1991. Foreign-owned businesses created 3,500 jobs in 2024. And the international buyers who are already here have a homeownership rate 7.9 points higher than the national average. The data tells a clear story — and it has direct implications for how you buy, sell, and invest in this state.
International buyers are not a niche segment of the South Carolina real estate market. They are a measurable, growing, and economically significant constituency — one with a homeownership rate that exceeds the national average for foreign-born buyers, a lower unemployment rate than the national benchmark, and a direct connection to the trade and investment relationships that are reshaping the state’s economy. Understanding who is moving to South Carolina, where they’re coming from, and what they buy is not background knowledge. It is a competitive advantage.
This report synthesizes 2024–2025 economic data on South Carolina’s international population, trade relationships, and real estate market indicators. We translate what the numbers mean in practical terms — for buyers relocating from abroad, for investors evaluating the state’s international economic ties, and for anyone buying or selling South Carolina real estate who wants to understand the full picture of who is in the market alongside them.
International Migration Into SC
Has Grown 671% Since 1991.
The numbers behind South Carolina’s international growth story — and what they mean for the real estate market going forward.
In 1991, net international migration into South Carolina totaled approximately 1,677 people per year. By 2025, that figure had grown to 12,930 — a 671% increase over the same period, during which domestic migration also surged, reaching 66,622 by peak. South Carolina represented 1.0% of all net international migration to the United States in 2025 — a meaningful share for a state that is often not top-of-mind in international real estate conversations.
What this means for real estate: Rising international migration creates a sustained pipeline of buyers who need housing — both rental and for purchase. Areas experiencing population growth from international residents typically see increased demand across all price tiers, from entry-level rentals to luxury purchases. South Carolina’s trajectory here is unambiguously upward.
351,009 Foreign-Born Residents.
Latin America Leads. Asia Is Second.
South Carolina’s 6% foreign-born share sits below the national average — but the growth rate tells a different story than the current proportion.
South Carolina’s foreign-born population represents 6% of its total population — meaningfully below the national rate of 15%. However, the composition and economic profile of that population carries significant real estate implications. The largest group, at 50.9% of all foreign-born residents, is from Latin America — closely mirroring the national proportion of 51.4%. The second-largest group at 23.8% is from Asia, significantly above the national average, which has implications for where international buyer demand concentrates in SC markets.
SC has significantly more European-born residents proportionally than the national average (16.3% vs. 9.7%). Combined with a lower Asian proportion than the US average (23.8% vs. 30.8%), this gives South Carolina a distinctly different international buyer profile than coastal metros like Miami or Los Angeles — and a client base that is more likely to include European buyers seeking Southeast US relocation or second home options.
SC Foreign-Born Residents
Own Homes at Higher Rates Than the US Average.
One of the most striking data points in the SC international real estate picture — and one that most agents never see.
Foreign-born residents in South Carolina have a homeownership rate of 63.4% — 7.9 percentage points higher than the national rate of 55.5% for foreign-born residents. Naturalized citizens specifically reach a 79.9% homeownership rate in SC, compared to 67.7% nationally. These figures indicate that the international population in South Carolina has a strong and above-average ownership orientation — they are not primarily a rental market. They are a purchase market.
Homeownership & Income
Homeownership & Income
The income gap is worth understanding in context. SC foreign-born median household income ($70,175) is $11,172 below the national foreign-born median — but SC home prices are also meaningfully lower than coastal metros. The homeownership premium SC enjoys suggests that affordability is doing real work: international buyers who might not be able to purchase in California or New York find SC’s price-to-income ratio accessible, and they are buying.
Lower Unemployment. Higher
Labor Participation.
An Economically Active International Population.
(vs. 3.3% national rate)
(vs. 81.8% nationally)
(vs. 15.6% nationally)
Foreign-born residents in South Carolina experience an unemployment rate of 2.2% — 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 3.3%. This is not a marginal difference. It indicates a well-employed international population with the financial stability to support homeownership. Naturalized citizens specifically show a 2.0% unemployment rate, the lowest of any category measured.
Foreign-owned businesses created 3,500 jobs in South Carolina in 2024 — representing 1.7% of all national new employment from foreign direct investment. This is direct evidence that SC’s relationship with international capital is not just demographic. It is economic. International companies investing in the state bring executive populations, engineering teams, and management staff who relocate to South Carolina — and who become real estate buyers.
“SC’s international buyers own homes at 7.9 points above the national rate for foreign-born residents. They are not a rental market. They are a purchase market.“
$38.5B in Exports. $56.2B in Imports.
SC Is Deeply Connected to the Global Economy.
Trade relationships define which foreign nationals have economic ties to South Carolina — and which countries’ citizens are most likely to arrive as buyers.
South Carolina exported $38.5 billion in goods in 2025 — a 94.3% increase since 2008 — representing 1.8% of all national exports. Imports reached $56.2 billion, a 92.7% increase over the same period. Germany is South Carolina’s top export partner ($5.15B, 13.4%), driven in large part by BMW’s manufacturing presence in the state. This direct economic connection explains why German nationals represent a meaningful segment of SC’s European-born international population.
The trade map is the buyer map. Germany (#1 export partner, #2 import partner) brings BMW executives and international manufacturing management. China, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam connections drive Asian buyer activity in markets like Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston. Canada and Mexico are perennial top partners. Where the trade goes, the people follow — and the people become buyers.
The Data Is Clear.
The Question Is What You Do With It.
Whether you’re buying, selling, or investing in South Carolina real estate — the international dimension of this market is no longer optional knowledge. It’s competitive intelligence.
If you are buying in South Carolina, understanding the international buyer pool means understanding who you are competing with — and in which neighborhoods their activity concentrates. German, Korean, and Japanese buyers tied to manufacturing corridors cluster around Greenville and Spartanburg. Latin American buyers are concentrated in coastal and major metro markets. European buyers — particularly from the UK and France — are active in coastal resort and retirement markets.
If you are selling in South Carolina, the international buyer pool is a marketing channel, not an afterthought. A home marketed only to domestic buyers leaves the international segment — which, in SC, includes 351,000 residents plus visiting international buyers spending $56 billion nationally in 2024–25 — underserved. The right agent speaks to both audiences simultaneously.
If you are an investor, the 3,500 foreign-direct-investment jobs created in SC in 2024, the state’s position as a BMW manufacturing hub, and the 671% international migration growth since 1991 all point to a market with above-average long-term demand trajectory from non-domestic buyers. That is a supply-demand dynamic worth positioning into early.
We work with international buyers and sellers directly. That means understanding the Fideicomiso for Mexican buyers, navigating the FIRPTA tax requirements for foreign sellers, connecting German and Korean executives relocating through BMW or Hyundai with the right SC communities, and translating complex cross-border transactions into clear, confident decisions. If your situation has an international dimension — or might — this is worth a conversation.
The International Dimension of SC Real Estate
Your Next Buyer Might Be
Flying In From Frankfurt.
Or relocating from Seoul with a BMW contract. Or buying their third US property from Monterrey. International buyers are in this market — and the agents who understand that outperform the ones who don’t. We work both sides of that equation. Let’s talk.
Start That Conversation →Evangeline Raiskaya Ramos
Relocation & International Investment Specialist · KW Innovate South
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