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Business phone system for sporting goods stores in South Carolina

303 sporting goods stores operated in South Carolina in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.

Establishments
303CBP 2023
Employees
4,257mid-March 2023
Per 100k residents
5.5U.S. 6.0
State rank
24th of 51by count

The sporting goods store industry in South Carolina

County Business Patterns counts 303 establishments in South Carolina classified as Sporting Goods Stores (NAICS 451110) for 2023. They employed 4,257 people in mid-March and reported $121.8 million in annual payroll. That is the 24th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Sporting goods stores make up 0.25% of the 122,958 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) South Carolina has 5.5 sporting goods stores, 7.7% below the national rate of 6.0. The average establishment has 14.0 employees against 12.4 nationally. Payroll per employee is $28,615, 2.8% below the U.S. figure of $29,426.

Sporting goods stores: South Carolina compared with the U.S., 2023
MeasureSouth CarolinaUnited States
Establishments30320,373
Mid-March employees4,257252,338
Annual payroll$121,812,000$7,425,397,000
Employees per establishment14.012.4
Payroll per employee$28,615$29,426
Establishments per 100,000 residents5.56.0

Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

South Carolina's largest markets for sporting goods stores

Census published sporting goods store counts for 12 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of South Carolina. The largest is Charlotte, NC-SC, with 150 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 87% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Sporting goods stores by metro or micropolitan area, South Carolina, 2023
AreaEstablishmentsEmployeesPer 100k residents
Charlotte, NC-SC1502,3655.2
Greenville, SC608376.0
Charleston, SC487935.5
Columbia, SC419514.7
Myrtle Beach, SC364558.7
Hilton Head Island, SC3232213.5
Augusta, GA-SC284744.4
Spartanburg, SC131813.3
Florence, SC11—5.5
Murrells Inlet, SC105015.1
Seneca, SC8—9.7
Orangeburg, SC4184.8

Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023; population from Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Team sizes at sporting goods stores in South Carolina

54.6% of South Carolina's sporting goods stores with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 49.2% nationally. 69.2% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Sporting goods stores in South Carolina by employment size, 2023
Employment sizeEstablishmentsShareU.S. share
1–4 employees16554.6%49.2%
5–9 employees4414.6%20.8%
10–19 employees4013.2%15.9%
20–49 employees309.9%8.3%
50 or more employees237.6%5.9%

Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.

Why the phone matters for sporting goods stores in South Carolina

Sporting goods stores take calls about stock, team orders and services such as bike or ski tuning. Team and school orders involve many follow-up calls. That holds for sporting goods stores in South Carolina as much as anywhere.

A few of the calls that come in to sporting goods stores in South Carolina:

Calls after closing time

After-hours calls are mostly stock questions.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for sporting goods stores in South Carolina

Sporting goods stores in South Carolina average 14.0 employees, so the comparison uses a 14-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 14 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $420.00 a month and 14 on Ooma Office Pro cost $349.30. On Callata the same 14 people cost $279.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $1,692. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Monthly list price for a 14-person sporting goods store
Provider (plan)Pricing basisPer monthPer year
Callata (Callata Office)$99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user$279.00$3,348.00
Quo (Starter)$19.00 per user$266.00$3,192.00
Nextiva (Core)$23.00 per user$322.00$3,864.00
Ooma (Office Pro)$24.95 per user$349.30$4,191.60
Dialpad (Standard)$27.00 per user$378.00$4,536.00
RingCentral (RingEX Core)$30.00 per user$420.00$5,040.00

Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.

Area codes in South Carolina

South Carolina has 6 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your customers know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

Area codes in South Carolina by assigned exchanges
Area codeExchangesTime zoneIn service sinceOverlay with
803784Eastern1947839
864784Eastern1995821
843783Eastern1998854
839190Eastern2020803
854182Eastern2015843
82142Eastern2024864

Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.

How Callata works for sporting goods stores in South Carolina

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in South Carolina, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.

Frequently asked questions

How many sporting goods stores are in South Carolina?

303 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 4,257 people in mid-March.

Which South Carolina metro area has the most sporting goods stores?

Charlotte, NC-SC, with 150 establishments in 2023.

What does a phone system cost a 14-person sporting goods store?

$420.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $349.30 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $279.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).

Do I need to register to text customers from a South Carolina number?

Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.