South Carolina RN Salary - How Much Do RNs Make in SC?

South Carolina employed 41,950 registered nurses as of May of 2018, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The average RN salary in South Carolina was $59,670 per year, or about $28.69 per hour. Registered nurses here with earnings in the 75th percentile made more than $69,540. The median wage was lower than the mean at $58,220. Those with earnings in the bottom 25th percentile made less than $48,950 per year. These figures are lower than national average of $65,470 per year for this occupation.

The metropolitan area that employs the highest number of registered nurses in this state is the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville area. According to the BLS data, this area employed 9,270 RNs in 2018. This area also had the highest average salary at $66,890 per year. Those with earnings in the 75th percentile made more than $75,750. RNs with salaries in the 25th percentile earned under $55,480. The cost of living in parts of this area is very high. On average, though, the cost of living in this area is just marginally below the national average.

The Columbia and Greenville-Maudlin-Easley areas also employ a significant percentage of this state’s registered nurses. In 2018, the former employed 7,840 RNs and the latter employed 6,810. The average salary in Columbia was $55,400. The average salary in the Greenville-Maudlin-Easley area was $60,570 at this time.

The lowest RN salary in South Carolina can be found in Sumter. Here, the average annual salary was $54,540. Salaries ranged from below $41,510 to above $70,750. A close second was Spartanburg, where registered nurses made an average of $54,530.

Resources

• https://meric.mo.gov/data/cost-living-data-series
• https://www.crda.org/living-here/#cost_of_living/