South Carolina called 8th-laziest U.S. state

South Carolina teems with remote-clenching, sleepy-eyed, unproductive people who rarely exercise and work a mere three hours and 26 minutes a day.

Or so says the latest BusinessWeek ranking.

The magazine rolled together various government studies that examined the nation's sleeping habits, exercise patterns and overall time spent working. The report declared the Palmetto State the eighth-laziest in the country.

Louisiana ranked as the country's laziest state, but South Carolinians spend more time watching TV than any other state -- averaging three hours and seven minutes per day. The typical South Carolinian also spends eight hours and 42 minutes a day sleeping.

"I would like to know where these people live," said North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, who chuckled when asked the last time he got more than eight hours of sleep. "I got to move."

How exactly do you declare an entire state lazy?

South Carolina likely took the biggest hit in the health- ranking category. BusinessWeek factored in statistics from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control that showed only half the adults in the state get enough physical activity, only one-third of residents have sidewalks in their neighborhoods and only 37.4 percent use outdoor facilities for physical activity.

That judgment would seem unfair, given the state's oppressive summer heat.

"When it's 120 degrees outside, what are you going to do but sit around?" asked Mary Graham of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Graham and other local economic development officials deny that the "lazy" characteristic applies to the state's workforce. She pointed to a recent survey that singled out the Port of Charleston as one of the most productive in the world, citing its quick freighter ship unloading time.

And Jim Maxon of ReadySC, a state-sponsored workforce training program, said less than 3 percent of workers who enroll in its Boeing training program drop out. Most of the program's 2,000-plus graduates are self-starters, he said.

"It's not like we have to do motivational videos," he said. "People come in motivated and ready."

Summey pointed to the latest string of economic development announcements that are expected to bring jobs to the region. Would those company executives choose to open up major operations in South Carolina if the state's workforce didn't work?

"That would not be the case if we were the eighth-laziest state in the country," he said.

Berkeley Chamber of Commerce CEO Elaine Morgan concurred. "How can they say that when we have so many industries moving here? They can move anywhere in the world and they chose here."

Dave Munday contributed to this report. Reach Katy Stech at 937-5549 or kstech@postandcourier.com. Reach Warren Wise at 937-5524 or wwise@postandcourier.com