The Commission’s Research and Planning Division exists to provide critical data and information for decision-making purposes. The Research Division seeks to assist the general public, public officials, the private sector, non-profit, and faith-based organizations with critical statistical data and analysis.

The goal of the Research Division is to both create and maintain a comprehensive research program and statistics concerning the cause and effect of economic deprivation in under-resourced and rural communities across the state of South Carolina. The division’s research is expansive, covering a variety of topics related to economic deprivation across a range of geographical scales, from simple data visualizations to complex multivariate analyses.

The research conducted by the Commission's staff will provide ongoing statistical data, public policy analysis, and survey-based research. The research and related findings involve the following:

• To provide the State with a single point of contact for statistical and technical assistance in the areas of research and planning for a greater economic future;
• To study the causes and effects of economic deprivation in rural or under-resourced communities;
• To provide statistical data and policy recommendations to state agencies and public officials to implement initiatives to alleviate such deprivation;
• To establish and maintain a database of statistical information for distribution to members of the General Assembly and other entities capable of effecting change;
• To serve as the State’s clearinghouse for statistical information and to publish a Statewide statistical abstract on under-resourced community affairs;
• To provide communities with a single point of contact to obtain raw data and information necessary for local research and planning;
• To develop and make available on an as-needed basis specialized statistical publications, raw data, analysis, and findings in cooperation with state agencies, public officials, and the general public.