Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$64,218
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$19,072
22.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$68,920
South Carolina costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in South Carolina — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$83,290
Kept after tax
$64,218
Worth in national money
$68,920
State rank
38
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. South Carolina pays this job a middle wage of $83,290, 38 of 51 states and about 13.77% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in South Carolina. It ranks 84 out of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- South Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $83,290 the take-home is $64,218; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $68,920 would nationally. The average comes to $85,540, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- South Carolina's $83,290 median for diagnostic medical sonographers places it 38 of 51 states, about 13.77% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- Within South Carolina, diagnostic medical sonographers ranks 84 of 492 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Post-tax income for diagnostic medical sonographers in South Carolina, on $83,290, is $64,218 — equivalent to $68,920 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $85,540 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $69,530 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $83,290 |
| Top tenth earn over | $102,540 |
| This salary | $83,290 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in South Carolina | $64,218 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $67,425 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$464 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $78,732 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$641 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in South Carolina earn less than $83,290. The published range is $69,530 up to $102,540, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind South Carolina's $64,218, worked from $83,290. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 84 of 492.
- One number stands for prices across all of South Carolina, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $68,920, the adjusted value of that $83,290 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 84 of 492 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for diagnostic medical sonographers in South Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $69,530 to $102,540. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The South Carolina take-home of $64,218, on $83,290 for work ranking 84 of 492 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 84 of 492 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Carolina, so $68,920 — the adjusted value of that $83,290 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 84 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $69,530 at the bottom tenth to $102,540 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $68,920.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and South Carolina's own levy, $64,218 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($69,530 to $102,540) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to South Carolina rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
South Carolina's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $68,920 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $64,218 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and South Carolina income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.