Median pay · South Carolina
$46,490A year, or $22 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $27,070 | $13 |
| 25th percentile | $34,630 | $17 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $46,490 | $22 |
| 75th percentile | $70,340 | $34 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $103,010 | $50 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $59,280 | $29 |
All occupations combined. Individual occupations vary far more than this figure suggests. The tables below show the spread.
How we got this
- Median wage in South CarolinaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of all wage earners here were paid more than this, half less.$46,490
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$22.35
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$3,231 a month at an effective rate of 16.6%.$38,768 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in South Carolina sit at 93.7 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$49,590
- Against the national medianThe national median is $50,980.8.8% below
- Jobs countedWage and salary jobs; the self-employed are not surveyed.2,305,080
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
Questions
Pay in South Carolina: common questions
What is the average salary in South Carolina?
$59,280 a year, or $28.50 an hour, across every job the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveyed in South Carolina for May 2025.
The median is lower, $46,490: half of workers earn more and half earn less. The average sits above it because a smaller number of very high salaries pull it up, so the median is closer to what a typical worker makes.
What is a good salary in South Carolina?
Anything over $46,490 pays more than half the jobs in South Carolina. $70,340 puts you in the top quarter and $103,010 in the top 10%.
A single person on the median keeps about $3,231 a month after federal, state and FICA tax.
What are the highest-paying jobs in South Carolina?
By median pay: internal medicine physicians ($359,500), neurologists ($352,680), emergency medicine physicians ($341,960), obstetricians and gynecologists ($302,340) and nurse anesthetists ($265,480). The table on this page lists the top 25.
What are the most common jobs in South Carolina?
By number of jobs: retail salespersons ($30,690), fast food or counter workers ($27,520), laborers or material movers ($37,530), cashiers ($28,530) and customer service representatives ($38,860), with the median pay for each.