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South Carolina · Occupational wage benchmark

Financial Managers Salary in South Carolina

What Financial Managers actually earn in South Carolina — the published BLS median, what it is worth after local costs, and how it ranks against every other state.

Direct answer
Financial Managers in South Carolina earn a median of $136,160 per year (-18.3% vs national, #33 of 51 states). Because South Carolina's price level is 93.7 against a U.S. average of 100, that salary carries roughly the purchasing power of $145,239 nationally. These are BLS occupational wage benchmarks across all workers in the occupation — not MBA-graduate-specific outcomes.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2024 estimates (published April 2025)), South Carolina state estimates for SOC 11-3031; cost-of-living adjustment derived from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) (2024). Occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes.

Median annual wage
$136,160
Financial Managers in South Carolina
Adjusted for cost of living
$145,239
South Carolina price level 93.7 (U.S. = 100)
Rank among states
#33 of 51
#34 after cost of living
Workers employed
9,020
in South Carolina

What Financial Managers earn in South Carolina, adjusted for what it costs to live there

A headline wage only means something next to local prices. Once local prices are accounted for, South Carolina drops 1 place — a higher headline wage is partly consumed by a higher cost of living.

StateMedian (nominal)Adjusted for cost of living
New York$219,880$203,742
Massachusetts$206,760$195,505
New Jersey$199,110$182,997
District of Columbia$188,880$171,864
Virginia$185,220$183,197
Colorado$182,690$177,279
Delaware$181,580$181,929
California$180,770$163,268
Washington$174,840$163,382
Connecticut$174,830$168,739
Rhode Island$166,940$163,219
Georgia$166,790$173,211
North Carolina$166,780$176,812
Illinois$165,880$165,950
Texas$164,860$169,859
Minnesota$163,410$165,695
South Dakota$159,700$180,277
Kansas$159,380$176,955
Maryland$158,750$151,250
Oregon$156,460$151,372
Florida$153,280$148,220
Utah$150,450$152,179
Pennsylvania$145,610$149,233
New Hampshire$144,730$138,943
Missouri$143,460$157,966
Tennessee$141,010$153,489
Ohio$140,870$151,842
Alabama$140,500$158,180
Nebraska$140,360$155,777
Arizona$139,830$138,890
Wisconsin$139,720$148,488
Michigan$139,370$144,850
South Carolina$136,160$145,239
North Dakota$135,890$152,756
Indiana$135,840$145,550
Hawaii$134,210$122,063
New Mexico$133,700$144,992
Maine$133,610$137,671
Iowa$133,320$151,911
Nevada$132,490$132,518
Oklahoma$132,460$150,792
Montana$131,060$138,475
Kentucky$130,650$144,911
Vermont$128,690$131,373
Idaho$127,210$133,213
Alaska$127,030$124,102
Louisiana$126,800$143,753
Wyoming$124,910$134,760
Arkansas$116,570$134,086
West Virginia$113,140$126,418
Mississippi$111,390$128,104

Nominal medians: BLS OEWS, May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) — occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes. Adjusted column: SalaryMBA estimate, computed as nominal ÷ (state RPP ÷ 100) using BEA RPP 2024 all-items regional price parities. An adjusted figure is a purchasing-power comparison, not a wage anyone is paid.

The national pay range for Financial Managers

BLS publishes the full percentile distribution nationally. It shows the spread within the occupation — the gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is usually far wider than the gap between states.

Percentile (national)Annual wageReading
10th percentile$94,310Entry / early-career end
25th percentile$125,490
Median (50th)$166,570
75th percentile$219,980
90th percentile$323,270Senior / top-market end

Other MBA-relevant roles in South Carolina

How to read the South Carolina number

The $136,160 median means half of Financial Managers in South Carolina earn less and half earn more. It is measured across everyone in the occupation — every level of experience, every industry, and every level of education. It is not the salary of a recent MBA graduate, and it is not a starting salary.

BLS counts roughly 9,020 people in this role in South Carolina. The national percentile spread above is the more useful planning tool: within a single occupation, the distance between the 10th and 90th percentile typically dwarfs the difference between states. Where you land inside that range is driven far more by industry, function, and seniority than by geography.

What this data can and cannot tell you

This page answers “what does this role pay here.” It cannot answer “what will an MBA pay me here.” The BLS surveys establishments about occupations, not degrees, so no MBA premium can be isolated from it. Any site presenting these figures as MBA salaries is overstating what the source supports.

For MBA-specific figures we rely on cited school employment reports and moderated submissions, published only above our sample-size gates — see our methodology. To model your own economics, the MBA ROI calculator turns a target salary, tuition, and debt into a payback estimate.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Financial Managers make in South Carolina?

Financial Managers in South Carolina earn a median of $136,160 per year, according to BLS OEWS May 2024 estimates (published April 2025). That is -18.3% vs national, ranking South Carolina #33 of 51 states with published data for this role. This is an occupational wage benchmark measured across all workers in the occupation, not an MBA-graduate-specific salary.

Is $136,160 a good salary for Financial Managers in South Carolina?

It depends on local prices. South Carolina's overall price level is 93.7 against a U.S. average of 100, so a $136,160 salary there has roughly the purchasing power of $145,239 nationally — about $9,079 more than the headline number implies. Once local prices are accounted for, South Carolina drops 1 place — a higher headline wage is partly consumed by a higher cost of living.

Do Financial Managers in South Carolina need an MBA?

These BLS figures cover everyone in the occupation regardless of degree, so they cannot tell you what an MBA specifically adds. Financial Managers is a role MBA graduates commonly target, and an MBA can affect where you land within the range through network, function, and seniority — but any claim of a precise MBA premium for this role in South Carolina would not be supported by this data. Verified MBA-specific outcomes are collected separately and published only once they clear our sample-size gates.

Why is housing cost relevant to Financial Managers pay in South Carolina?

Housing is the single largest driver of geographic cost differences. South Carolina's housing price level is 80.5 against a U.S. average of 100 — well below average, which meaningfully stretches local pay. Overall prices there sit at 93.7.

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Every figure on SalaryMBA is source-labeled. See our methodology for how we source and gate data.