How many Real Estate Agents does South Carolina employ?

BLS OES counts 3,900 Real Estate Agents employed in South Carolina in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

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.

Where does South Carolina rank for Real Estate Agent 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 $24,020 to $133,570. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

What are the limits of these Real Estate Agent 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for South Carolina?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within South Carolina.

Is the South Carolina real estate market shift (post-2024 NAR commission settlement) affecting agent pay?

The 2024 NAR settlement on buyer-broker commission disclosure has compressed effective commissions in South Carolina markets where buyers now negotiate buy-side fees explicitly. Anecdotal early data shows 0.25-0.75 percentage points of buy-side commission compression in South Carolina's competitive metros. Combined with cyclically suppressed transaction volume in 2024-2025 high-rate environment, gross commission income for the median South Carolina agent has declined roughly 15-30% from the 2021-2022 peak. The BLS figure on this page reflects the most recent OEWS release date noted on the page; current-year realized earnings are likely below it for the typical commission-only agent.

South Carolina Real Estate Agent Salary: BLS $50K Median, Real $53K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports South Carolina Real Estate Agent median pay at $49,990. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $53,478.
Quartile range $38,730 (bottom 25%) to $73,040 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $24,020 to $133,570.
Low BEA RPP (93.5) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $3,488.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #25 of 51; nominal rank is #29.

Wage breakdown — South Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$24,020	$25,696
P25 (lower quartile)	$38,730	$41,433
P50 (median)	$49,990	$53,478
P75 (upper quartile)	$73,040	$78,137
P90 (top tier)	$133,570	$142,891
Mean	$72,750	$77,827
Employment	3,900 Real Estate Agents 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 (Real Estate Agent)	$49,990	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,861	7.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,536	0–6.2% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,824	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$40,769	81.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$43,614	÷ (93.5 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the South Carolina state-tax burden means for Real Estate Agent take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $40,769 (81.6% of gross). After the 93.5 RPP, real take-home is $43,614.

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 $56,320 for Real Estate Agents with mean pay of $70,970 and total employment of 190,600. South Carolina sits at #29 on nominal pay and #25 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Carolina climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How many Real Estate Agents does South Carolina employ?: BLS OES counts 3,900 Real Estate Agents employed in South Carolina in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
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.
Where does South Carolina rank for Real Estate Agent 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 $24,020 to $133,570. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
What are the limits of these Real Estate Agent 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for South Carolina?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within South Carolina.
Is the South Carolina real estate market shift (post-2024 NAR commission settlement) affecting agent pay?: The 2024 NAR settlement on buyer-broker commission disclosure has compressed effective commissions in South Carolina markets where buyers now negotiate buy-side fees explicitly. Anecdotal early data shows 0.25-0.75 percentage points of buy-side commission compression in South Carolina's competitive metros. Combined with cyclically suppressed transaction volume in 2024-2025 high-rate environment, gross commission income for the median South Carolina agent has declined roughly 15-30% from the 2021-2022 peak. The BLS figure on this page reflects the most recent OEWS release date noted on the page; current-year realized earnings are likely below it for the typical commission-only agent.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 41-9022, 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 2026-05-08.

Cross-comparison: see how South Carolina Real Estate Agent 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.