The latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report a healthy jump in Edgefield County’s Gross Domestic Product. Dr. Simon Medcalfe, economics professor at Augusta University and contributor to Augusta Business Daily, reviewed the data and found that Edgefield County is leading the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Overall, Medcalfe said the GDP in the seven-county metro area grew by 0.5% in 2022. The economies of Burke, Columbia, and McDuffie counties shrank, while Richmond, Lincoln, Aiken, and Edgefield counties grew. “The fastest growth was seen in Edgefield

The Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) grew by 0.5 percent in 2022 from 2021, according to a recent news release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the market value of all final goods and services produced in the MSA in 2022 was $28.4 billion. The fastest growth was seen in arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services, growing at 12.9 percent. The arts, entertainment, and recreation sector, which makes up about 25 percent of the overall industry, grew at a stellar 30.8 percent.