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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.5 for South Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $41,529 — what the $38,820 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $38,501 to $47,680.

Where does South Carolina rank for MA pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, South Carolina ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in South Carolina?

P10 to P90 spans $31,240 to $47,120. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is South Carolina a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 93.5 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $38,820 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $41,529. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for MAs comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these MA salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in South Carolina?

BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In South Carolina, specialty practice MAs — particularly in dermatology, cardiology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology — typically earn 10-20% above primary-care MA pay, reflecting tighter procedural support requirements and longer training ramps. Surgical specialty MAs assisting in office-based procedures (skin biopsies, in-office injections, vascular ultrasound assist) sit at the top of the BLS band in South Carolina. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in South Carolina typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.

South Carolina Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $39K Median, Real $42K (2026)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in South Carolina earn a BLS median of $38,820, with real take-home of $41,529 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $2,709.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $31,240 · P25 $35,990 · P75 $44,570 · P90 $47,120.
MA ranking: #43 on the BLS table, #42 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — South Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$31,240	$33,420
P25 (lower quartile)	$35,990	$38,501
P50 (median)	$38,820	$41,529
P75 (upper quartile)	$44,570	$47,680
P90 (top tier)	$47,120	$50,408
Mean	$40,070	$42,866
Employment	11,750 MAs 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 (MA)	$38,820	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,520	6.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$843	0–6.2% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$2,970	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$32,487	83.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$34,754	÷ (93.5 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

South Carolina's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.2% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 93.5), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $34,754.

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 $44,200 for MAs with mean pay of $44,720 and total employment of 793,460. South Carolina sits at #43 on nominal pay and #42 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Carolina climbs 1 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in South Carolina?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.5 for South Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $41,529 — what the $38,820 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $38,501 to $47,680.
Where does South Carolina rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, South Carolina ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in South Carolina?: P10 to P90 spans $31,240 to $47,120. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is South Carolina a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 93.5 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $38,820 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $41,529. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for MAs comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these MA salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in South Carolina?: BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In South Carolina, specialty practice MAs — particularly in dermatology, cardiology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology — typically earn 10-20% above primary-care MA pay, reflecting tighter procedural support requirements and longer training ramps. Surgical specialty MAs assisting in office-based procedures (skin biopsies, in-office injections, vascular ultrasound assist) sit at the top of the BLS band in South Carolina. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in South Carolina typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 31-9092, 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 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how South Carolina MA 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.