How much does an Accountant make in South Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $73,180 for Accountants in South Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $56,870 and the 75th-percentile is $97,600.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Accountant salary in South Carolina?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.5 for South Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $78,287 — what the $73,180 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $60,838 to $104,411.

What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in South Carolina?

The 90th percentile lands at $131,550. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $97,600.

Why is the BEA RPP for South Carolina different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. South Carolina's overall index of 93.5 reflects rents 80.5, services 85.8, and goods 95.9.

How wide is the wage spread in South Carolina?

P10 to P90 spans $48,220 to $131,550. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Does CPA licensure raise accountant pay in South Carolina?

BLS aggregates accountants and auditors under SOC 13-2011 — CPA-licensed and non-CPA pay are not split. In practice, CPA-licensed accountants in South Carolina typically earn 10-20% above the all-accountant median, and the gap widens at the senior/manager level where CPA is functionally required for partner-track public accounting and CFO roles. South Carolina requires 150 semester hours of education to sit for the exam (the AICPA Uniform CPA standard).

Public accounting vs industry vs government in South Carolina — which pays more?

Public accounting (Big 4 / regional firm audit + tax) typically pays 10-15% below industry corporate-accountant pay at the staff/senior level, then crosses over at manager and above as billable-hour leverage compounds. Government accountants in {state} (state DOR, federal IRS/GAO, municipal) usually trail both private paths on base pay but lead on pension and job security. Industry controller/CFO-track roles in {state} push toward the BLS P75-P90 band.

South Carolina Accountant Salary: BLS $73K Median, Real $78K (2026)

TL;DR

$73,180 is the BLS median wage for Accountants in South Carolina; $78,287 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $5,107 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
Wage envelope: $48,220 (P10) to $131,550 (P90), with quartiles at $56,870 and $97,600.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #43 of 51; nominal rank is #42.

Wage breakdown — South Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$48,220	$51,585
P25 (lower quartile)	$56,870	$60,838
P50 (median)	$73,180	$78,287
P75 (upper quartile)	$97,600	$104,411
P90 (top tier)	$131,550	$140,730
Mean	$84,260	$90,140
Employment	15,250 Accountants in South Carolina

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	South Carolina index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.5
Goods	95.9
Services	85.8
Rents	80.5

South Carolina sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.5), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 80.5.

After-tax take-home — South Carolina (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$73,180	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$7,347	10.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,974	0–6.2% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,598	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$57,262	78.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$61,257	÷ (93.5 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the South Carolina state-tax burden means for Accountant take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $57,262 (78.2% of gross). After the 93.5 RPP, real take-home is $61,257.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $81,680 for Accountants with mean pay of $93,520 and total employment of 1,448,290. South Carolina sits at #42 on nominal pay and #43 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Carolina falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Accountant make in South Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $73,180 for Accountants in South Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $56,870 and the 75th-percentile is $97,600.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Accountant salary in South Carolina?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.5 for South Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $78,287 — what the $73,180 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $60,838 to $104,411.
What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in South Carolina?: The 90th percentile lands at $131,550. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $97,600.
Why is the BEA RPP for South Carolina different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. South Carolina's overall index of 93.5 reflects rents 80.5, services 85.8, and goods 95.9.
How wide is the wage spread in South Carolina?: P10 to P90 spans $48,220 to $131,550. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Does CPA licensure raise accountant pay in South Carolina?: BLS aggregates accountants and auditors under SOC 13-2011 — CPA-licensed and non-CPA pay are not split. In practice, CPA-licensed accountants in South Carolina typically earn 10-20% above the all-accountant median, and the gap widens at the senior/manager level where CPA is functionally required for partner-track public accounting and CFO roles. South Carolina requires 150 semester hours of education to sit for the exam (the AICPA Uniform CPA standard).
Public accounting vs industry vs government in South Carolina — which pays more?: Public accounting (Big 4 / regional firm audit + tax) typically pays 10-15% below industry corporate-accountant pay at the staff/senior level, then crosses over at manager and above as billable-hour leverage compounds. Government accountants in {state} (state DOR, federal IRS/GAO, municipal) usually trail both private paths on base pay but lead on pension and job security. Industry controller/CFO-track roles in {state} push toward the BLS P75-P90 band.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how South Carolina Accountant pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.