This South Carolina City Has the Most Million-Dollar Homes

One South Carolina city has among the most million-dollar homes in America. That's pretty wild to think about. So, if you're looking for an expensive home, this city might be a good spot for you to start. Or, if you want to avoid buying an expensive home, you might want to find a different city in which to make roots.

Newsweek has a feature out about the cities in America with the most million-dollar homes. "Rising house prices in the U.S. are driving affordability issues, especially for first-time buyers," they note. "This surge is fueled by low inventory and high demand, pushing many out of the market." They added that in 2023, about one in 10 homes were worth at least $1 million, per real-estate analysis firm Redfin. Also, about 8.2% of homes in the U.S. were valued at $1 million or more as of June 2023, which was down from 8.6% in June 2022.

Before we get to our area, it's worth noting that San Francisco has the most homes valued at $1 million or more at 81%. Not far behind is San Jose at 80%. I think that makes sense, because these cities are both close to the San Francisco Bay Area, which traditionally has high real estate values and high-paying jobs. The rest of the top 10 are packed with California towns, and the first non-California town to make the cut is Honolulu, Hawaii, at 38%.

Newsweek actually didn't list any South Carolina cities on their tally. But, in separate story per Forbes, which uses data from the Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey to find South Carolina's richest cities, the publication discovered the cities with the highest median home value, and a lot of those homes are worth more than $1 million. "Many coastal areas made up the top 10, where one island getaway took the throne for richest community in the state," they noted. "An Upstate town was also listed among the top 20." In the story, Forbes stated that Kiawah Island is the state's richest city. I don't think anyone is surprised by that. The city's median home value at $1,442,000, per the study. The Forbes study also stated that the area's median property taxes were more than $8,000 per year.

In a separate feature, Visual Capitalist looked at the states with the most cities with million-dollar homes. In the feature they noted that "million-dollar homes are becoming more common, with the U.S. having 621 cities where a typical home is worth $1 million or more." They add that "while high interest rates have caused commercial real estate prices to fall, it hasn’t had the same impact on the residential market."

No. 1 on the tally for the states with the most million-dollar homes, of course, was California, followed by New York. South Carolina was actually No. 15, and North Carolina was No. 16.

Remote jobs are still a big trend, even following the pandemic. So, what are the most in-demand, high-paying remote jobs out there right now? For those who would rather work at home, the good news is that there are more options today than there were in the past. During the pandemic, many companies discovered that employing remote workers had benefits to them, including savings in infrastructure and other costs. Many workers discovered that it fit their lifestyles and personalities, too. So, it's a win-win for a certain segment of the population.

Before we get into those in-demand, high-paying remote jobs, let's look at some companies that are actively hiring remote workers. The experts at Forbes.com have a new feature out highlighting some companies that are looking for remote workers right now. No. 1 on the list is GitLab, which they describe as "an AI-powered DevSecOps platform that allows software developers to collaborate and deliver projects with full compliance and security." They add that GitLab currently has more than 100 remote job openings available in a variety of departments, including sales, marketing product and user experience, engineering, security, admin, HR, legal and more. Another big one on Forbes.com's tally is Buffer at No. 2. Buffer is a social media marketing software company. According to the article, they're "actively seeking to add to their remote team with roles for a senior front-end and senior back-end engineer." Other choice companies include Automattic, Toggle and Kona. A separate Forbes.com article also cites Canonical, Veeva and Invisible Technologies as companies hiring remote workers. So, the jobs are out there, but you might be working with a company that you're not familiar with yet.

It's also worth noting that salaries in 2024 are not what they were years ago. A new study from the experts at Ladders revealed some interesting information about salaries in 2024 and what they can actually buy. According to the study, if you want to have the buying power of a job that had an annual salary of $100,000 in 1994, you would need to pull in more than $200,000 a year in 2024. So, it shows how inflation has impacted the buying power of salaries over the past three decades. Also, the same study notes that while finding a job that pays more than $100,000 a year that's also a remote job is more difficult today than it was a few years ago, one industry that is leading the way in remote jobs is fintech, which stands for financial technology. But, it doesn't stop at fintech. Let's get into the best industries to find in-demand, high-paying remote jobs, from sources such as Money.USNews.com, CNBC.com and more.

Did you know that reviewing documents can make big bucks? According to CNBC.com, being a document reviewer can pay an average salary of $123,427. They also say it's one of the most in-demand remote jobs of the moment.

A different Forbes.com article says software engineers are an in-demand, high-paying remote option. "Software engineers are the backbone of fintechs," they explain, "and plays a crucial role in developing software for financial solutions, being the brains behind innovative financial products including emerging spaces such as blockchain and AI, and developing and integrating APIs while ensuring the products are compliant with financial regulations and are optimized for security."

The experts at Money.USNews.com have web developer as an in-demand remote job, making a median salary of $78,580. They note that the education required is a bachelor's degree. "Web developers maintain, troubleshoot and create websites to ensure they’re effective for business, health care, technology, education or whatever service they provide," they state.

The same Money.USNews.com article says their pick for the best remote job is financial manager. They make a median salary of $139,790. "They keep an eye on the finances of an organization and make reports on financial activity," they note. There are other jobs in the financial sector that are also great for remote workers, such as being an accountant or financial planner.

One hot job for remote talent, according to Forbes.com, is a content writer. So, what does a content writer do? "Content writers create written content for various platforms such as websites, blogs, and email marketing, which engages and informs audiences, with the goal of making sales and increasing brand awareness," they explain.

Believe it or not, being a general physician can be a great remote job. According to Insider Money (via MSN.com), general physicians make around $110 per hour. "A remote general physician provides medical care to patients via telecommunications technologies, offering consultations, diagnoses, and treatment recommendations remotely," they explain.

Forbes.com notes that being an editor is a good remote gig. "Remote editors work for magazines and journals, and other news publications, and they review and sometimes revise content to ensure accuracy and that the correct writing style is adhered to," they explain. They add that editors also make sure that "content meets publication guidelines."

If you're good with social media and have the professional history to prove it, being a social media manager could be a great remote role for you. According to CNBC.com, the average social media manager makes $81,329 annually. For this job, you have to keep up with all of the latest social media trends.

Many tech companies hire remote workers. For one, many of them are startups, so they don't want to spend money on the infrastructure of having people in an office. But, in general, tech jobs line up very well with remote work. According to Tech.co, Apple is a big one hiring right now.