South Carolina’s $167.3 million in rural health awards and a $23.5 million bridge grant featured in an Oct. 21 White House fact sheet, alongside company investment plans and tax claims. The White House said President Donald J. Trump was returning to the state that day.
Octapharma says its planned $1.5 billion critical-care facility in Rock Hill is expected to bring 1,500 full-time jobs. Ferrara Candy Company projects that its $675 million Orangeburg County plant could create 1,000 jobs over 10 years; the first production lines are expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2029. South Carolina authorized up to $85 million in bonds for the site and related infrastructure and approved job development credits.
NorthMark Strategies announced a planned $2.8 billion computing center in Spartanburg in April 2025. The company said development could support 400 to 600 project-based jobs, with at least 27 full-time employees at the operating facility.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) set South Carolina’s fiscal 2026 Rural Health Transformation Program award at $200.03 million. The federal initiative distributes $50 billion over five years. Separately, the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said it awarded $167.3 million to 228 projects on Sept. 15, after receiving 712 applications.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation said it received the bridge grant on July 9. The 18 replacements across nine counties have an estimated total cost of $116.6 million, with construction expected to start in 2027 and finish by the end of 2029. On Oct. 8, Gov. Henry McMaster said the federal share of eligible Public Assistance costs for Hurricane Helene recovery had risen from 75% to 90%. He said the adjustment would reduce the amount South Carolina and local communities must cover.
The White House’s $3,476 average-refund figure for 2026 comes from an Upgraded Points state estimate based on tax-year 2022 IRS data adjusted for inflation. It is not a measured average for South Carolina’s 2026 filing season. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance says eligible taxpayers 65 and older may claim a deduction of up to $6,000. The deduction phases down for single filers with modified adjusted gross income above $75,000; it does not make Social Security benefits categorically tax-free.
Charleston Police reported that overall crime in the city fell 36.3% in 2025. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division reported an 8.4% decline in the statewide violent crime rate from 2023 to 2024, the fourth annual decrease in a row. Those figures do not establish that federal policies caused the declines.
South Carolina submitted new Opportunity Zone nominations to the Treasury Department on Sept. 23. Treasury review is required before the zones can take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
