Average annual wage for South Carolina workers tops $50,000 for the first time

Columbia, S.C. – On April 25, 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data for 2022. BLS, in partnership with the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) and other state workforce agencies, administers an annual survey to produce the only official government figures on employment and wages by occupation. There are approximately 830 occupations in the datasets and estimates are published for the state of South Carolina, its ten metropolitan statistical areas, and its three rural regions.

Overall, the average hourly wage in South Carolina was $24.35, or $50,650 over a full year consisting of 2,080 work hours. Among major occupational groups, the highest paid was Management at an average of $52.81 per hour, while the lowest paid was Food Preparation at $12.81 per hour.

The most common individual occupations in South Carolina were retail salespersons (63,890 workers averaging $14.59 per hour) and hand laborers and movers (63,570 workers averaging $16.64 per hour). The eight highest paid types of work in South Carolina were all in the healthcare practitioners and technical occupations group, each earning more than $293,000 annually.

“This information is truly invaluable for businesses, workers, jobseekers, and anyone who has a stake in the current and future prosperity of South Carolina,” said Dr. Bryan Grady, Assistant Executive Director of Labor Market Information (LMI), whose staff compiled these data. “Given how focused employers have been on finding workers over the past two years, knowing what salaries employees are able to command in the open market should help set expectations as the economy continues to recalibrate.”

”These datasets give South Carolinians the facts they need in order to make informed decisions about employment,” stated William Floyd, Acting Executive Director for DEW. “Businesses can evaluate the OEWS data to see how they compare with other employers in the same working group. Jobseekers can use these data to learn how different industries pay in their local area, which can greatly influence the career field that they pursue or advance in.”

The full OEWS data set is available at https://www.bls.gov/oes. Data are subject to revision and will be published on the LMI website at https://scworkforceinfo.com once finalized this summer. For more information, interested parties can review the below table or contact communications@dew.sc.gov with press inquiries or interview requests for the LMI Division.