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South Carolina · Occupational wage benchmark

Sales Managers Salary in South Carolina

What Sales 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
Sales Managers in South Carolina earn a median of $131,080 per year (-11.6% vs national, #32 of 50 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 $139,820 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 11-2022; 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
$131,080
Sales Managers in South Carolina
Adjusted for cost of living
$139,820
South Carolina price level 93.7 (U.S. = 100)
Rank among states
#32 of 50
#30 after cost of living
Workers employed
9,340
in South Carolina

What Sales 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 moves up 2 places — the paycheck stretches further than the nominal figure suggests.

StateMedian (nominal)Adjusted for cost of living
New York$217,640$201,666
Massachusetts$191,200$180,792
Virginia$191,130$189,043
Colorado$180,850$175,494
Washington$174,000$162,597
New Jersey$173,020$159,018
Connecticut$162,110$156,462
Kansas$159,990$177,632
Georgia$159,890$166,045
Maine$158,660$163,483
Oregon$155,810$150,744
Illinois$155,280$155,345
Rhode Island$154,970$151,515
Minnesota$151,670$153,791
North Carolina$150,470$159,521
Arizona$145,690$144,710
New Hampshire$141,900$136,226
District of Columbia$141,800$129,025
Vermont$138,650$141,540
Maryland$137,150$130,670
Michigan$136,870$142,251
Utah$136,520$138,089
South Dakota$136,360$153,930
Texas$136,020$140,144
Ohio$135,510$146,065
Idaho$135,350$141,737
California$134,910$121,848
Wisconsin$134,870$143,334
Iowa$134,010$152,697
Florida$131,900$127,546
Indiana$131,470$140,867
South Carolina$131,080$139,820
Pennsylvania$130,610$133,860
Wyoming$129,840$140,078
Oklahoma$128,920$146,762
Kentucky$128,650$142,692
Tennessee$128,040$139,371
Nebraska$126,990$140,939
Alabama$124,040$139,649
North Dakota$119,990$134,882
Montana$117,390$124,032
Hawaii$116,340$105,811
Missouri$115,370$127,036
New Mexico$114,080$123,715
Louisiana$110,700$125,500
Nevada$109,790$109,813
Mississippi$108,750$125,068
Arkansas$108,330$124,607
Alaska$98,860$96,582
West Virginia$94,830$105,959

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 Sales 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$73,170Entry / early-career end
25th percentile$100,360
Median (50th)$148,270
75th percentile$207,340
90th percentile$290,540Senior / top-market end

Other MBA-relevant roles in South Carolina

How to read the South Carolina number

The $131,080 median means half of Sales 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 9,340 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 Sales Managers make in South Carolina?

Sales Managers in South Carolina earn a median of $131,080 per year, according to BLS OEWS May 2024 estimates (published April 2025). That is -11.6% vs national, ranking South Carolina #32 of 50 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 $131,080 a good salary for Sales 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 $131,080 salary there has roughly the purchasing power of $139,820 nationally — about $8,740 more than the headline number implies. Once local prices are accounted for, South Carolina moves up 2 places — the paycheck stretches further than the nominal figure suggests.

Do Sales 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. Sales 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 Sales 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.