How much does a Police Officer make in South Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $58,020 for Police Officers 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 $49,140 and the 75th-percentile is $67,200.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.5 for South Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $62,069 — what the $58,020 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $52,569 to $71,889.

How are South Carolina Police Officer salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $78,590. 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 $67,200.

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.

Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for South Carolina?

No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. South Carolina police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in South Carolina runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.

Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for South Carolina police?

Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. South Carolina departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.

South Carolina Police Officer Salary: BLS $58K Median, Real $62K (2026)

TL;DR

South Carolina pays Police Officers a BLS median of $58,020 — the more useful number is $62,069, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $4,049 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
P25-P75 spread runs $49,140 to $67,200; P10 floor $43,640, P90 ceiling $78,590.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #44 of 51; nominal rank is #43.

Wage breakdown — South Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$43,640	$46,685
P25 (lower quartile)	$49,140	$52,569
P50 (median)	$58,020	$62,069
P75 (upper quartile)	$67,200	$71,889
P90 (top tier)	$78,590	$84,074
Mean	$60,140	$64,337
Employment	12,820 Police Officers 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 (Police Officer)	$58,020	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,824	8.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,034	0–6.2% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,439	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$46,723	80.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$49,984	÷ (93.5 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $46,723 (80.5% of gross). After the 93.5 RPP, real take-home is $49,984.

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 $76,290 for Police Officers with mean pay of $79,320 and total employment of 666,990. South Carolina sits at #43 on nominal pay and #44 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 a Police Officer make in South Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $58,020 for Police Officers 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 $49,140 and the 75th-percentile is $67,200.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Police Officer salary in South Carolina?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.5 for South Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $62,069 — what the $58,020 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $52,569 to $71,889.
How are South Carolina Police Officer salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the Police Officer pay scale look like in South Carolina?: The 90th percentile lands at $78,590. 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 $67,200.
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.
Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for South Carolina?: No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. South Carolina police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in South Carolina runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.
Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for South Carolina police?: Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. South Carolina departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-3051, 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 Police Officer 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.