COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- What's the biggest industry in South Carolina? Depends on who you ask.
The tourism industry says it brings in more than $16 billion each year, employing nearly 200,000 people.
But agriculture and timber businesses employ nearly 200,000 people and feed a $34 billion dollar industry.
But South Carolina's ports create 260,000 jobs and generate $45 billion in wages, taxes and the value of goods shipped through the ports.
Various industries have brought out self-financed studies in the past year. Experts say such studies are generally flawed.
One activity can be counted as part of several industries. A shirt sold at a shop in Charleston could be counted as agriculture for the cotton, the ports for the imported buttons and tourism because the buyer was on vacation.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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