Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| South Carolina | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $82,360 | $98,331 | -16% |
| Median hourly wage | $39.60 | $47.27 | -16% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $87,898.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Registered Nurse in South Carolina is $82,360, or about $39.60 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Registered Nurses is $98,331. South Carolina is -16% below the national median.
Entry-level registered nurses in South Carolina typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 49,750 registered nurse jobs on record and a median salary of $82,360, South Carolina offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, registered nurses rank 145 of the 713 occupations reported in South Carolina — higher than 80% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, General Internal Medicine Physicians at $359,500, Neurologists at $352,680, Emergency Medicine Physicians at $341,960 — all figures are median annual wages for South Carolina.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. South Carolina levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 95.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, registered nurses rank 145 of the 713 occupations reported in South Carolina — higher than 80% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in South Carolina | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $359,500 | $1,260 |
| Neurologists | $352,680 | $40 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $341,960 | $80 |
| Orthodontists | $311,450 | — |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $302,340 | $350 |
| Physicians, All Other | $274,480 | $4,510 |
South Carolina levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 95.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 713 occupations in South Carolina.