Highest Paying Jobs in South Carolina

Top 100 occupations ranked by median annual salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

Highest Occupation Median

$359,500

General Internal Medicine Physicians

Mean of Top 25 Medians

$229,254

each occupation weighted once

Medians ≥ $100K

89

occupations

Occupations

100

with wage data

This ranking surfaces the 100 highest-paying occupations in South Carolina by BLS OEWS state median salary, drawn from the May 2025 release. At the top, General Internal Medicine Physicians pays a state median of $359,500, +40% above the national median of $256,560 for the same role. Of the 100 occupation medians shown, 89 are at least $100,000 per year in South Carolina. The equal-weighted mean of the top ten published occupation medians is $295,385. It is not a worker mean or median.

The "Difference" column subtracts or compares each state median with the corresponding national median for the same SOC code. In this list, 32 of 100 occupation medians are above the corresponding national median in South Carolina. These values do not identify why the state and national estimates differ.

This ranking orders published occupation medians; it does not identify career stages, individual earning potential, or the odds of obtaining a job. The employment column contains estimated jobs in covered establishments. Occupation profiles separately show BLS projection and typical-entry education assignments where available. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. Employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, and nonproduction bonuses are outside the estimate, so review those separately for any specific offer. Open a linked profile to compare percentile boundaries, BLS education assignments, local-area estimates, and projected openings without treating one measure as a personal forecast.

# Occupation State Median
1 General Internal Medicine Physicians $359,500
2 Neurologists $352,680
3 Emergency Medicine Physicians $341,960
4 Orthodontists $311,450
5 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $302,340
6 Physicians, All Other $274,480
7 Nurse Anesthetists $265,480
8 Dermatologists $259,990
9 Dentists, All Other Specialists $246,770
10 Family Medicine Physicians $239,200
11 Anesthesiologists $238,970
12 Psychiatrists $237,250
13 Physicians, Pathologists $236,950
14 Pediatricians, General $217,120
15 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $214,160
16 Radiologists $174,480
17 Life Scientists, All Other $169,440
18 Architectural and Engineering Managers $169,040
19 Chief Executives $168,840
20 Podiatrists $167,110
21 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $162,400
22 Computer and Information Systems Managers $160,860
23 Dentists, General $158,640
24 Advertising and Promotions Managers $156,300
25 Optometrists $145,950
26 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $143,580
27 Marketing Managers $143,290
28 Physical Scientists, All Other $141,130
29 Medical Dosimetrists $140,530
30 Physicists $138,400
31 Aerospace Engineers $137,030
32 Marine Engineers and Naval Architects $136,990
33 Psychologists, All Other $136,990
34 Financial Managers $136,160
35 Pharmacists $135,700
36 Computer Network Architects $134,990
37 Purchasing Managers $131,720
38 Natural Sciences Managers $131,140
39 Sales Managers $131,080
40 Database Architects $130,000
41 Managers, All Other $129,960
42 Software Developers $129,450
43 Computer and Information Research Scientists $126,980
44 Industrial Production Managers $126,880
45 Nuclear Engineers $126,570
46 Computer Hardware Engineers $125,110
47 Administrative Services Managers $124,320
48 Human Resources Managers $124,290
49 Nurse Practitioners $123,290
50 Physician Assistants $122,490
51 Nurse Midwives $122,390
52 Veterinarians $122,130
53 Materials Engineers $121,610
54 Lawyers $120,310
55 Training and Development Managers $119,460
56 Nuclear Power Reactor Operators $118,620
57 Sales Engineers $114,250
58 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $113,720
59 Computer Occupations, All Other $112,260
60 Air Traffic Controllers $112,030
61 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $111,190
62 Engineers, All Other $110,490
63 Biochemists and Biophysicists $109,080
64 Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $109,060
65 Food Scientists and Technologists $108,660
66 Nuclear Technicians $108,490
67 Construction Managers $108,110
68 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $106,860
69 General and Operations Managers $106,080
70 Information Security Analysts $105,800
71 Commercial Pilots $105,740
72 Medical and Health Services Managers $105,620
73 Public Relations Managers $104,920
74 Mechanical Engineers $104,580
75 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $104,120
76 Facilities Managers $103,940
77 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $103,420
78 Fundraising Managers $103,240
79 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $102,440
80 Materials Scientists $101,930
81 Civil Engineers $101,600
82 Chemical Engineers $101,570
83 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval $101,550
84 Physical Therapists $101,330
85 Occupational Therapists $101,130
86 Industrial Engineers $101,060
87 Radiation Therapists $100,790
88 Management Analysts $100,660
89 Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary $100,400
90 Computer Programmers $99,740
91 Compensation and Benefits Managers $99,630
92 Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary $99,540
93 Financial Risk Specialists $99,520
94 Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers $99,130
95 Postmasters and Mail Superintendents $98,940
96 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers $98,790
97 Electrical Engineers $98,440
98 Computer Systems Analysts $98,280
99 Ship Engineers $97,890
100 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $97,500

More ways to explore South Carolina pay and compare with national data.

About This Data

All salary data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. State-level data reflects wages for workers employed in South Carolina. The "Difference" column shows how South Carolina pay compares to the national median for that occupation.

Last updated: May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Rankings by median annual salary in South Carolina.

National benchmark comparisons computed against BLS OEWS National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. These figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS state-level wage data. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.