Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| South Carolina | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $129,450 | $142,991 | -9% |
| Median hourly wage | $62.24 | $68.75 | -9% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $138,154.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in South Carolina is $129,450, or about $62.24 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. South Carolina is -9% below the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in South Carolina typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 13,230 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $129,450, South Carolina offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 46 of the 713 occupations reported in South Carolina — higher than 94% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Computer Network Architects at $134,990, Database Architects at $130,000, Computer and Information Research Scientists at $126,980 — 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, software engineers rank 46 of the 713 occupations reported in South Carolina — higher than 94% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in South Carolina | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Network Architects | $134,990 | $1,950 |
| Database Architects | $130,000 | $1,160 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $126,980 | $430 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $112,260 | $4,300 |
| Information Security Analysts | $105,800 | $1,720 |
| Computer Programmers | $99,740 | $790 |
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.