Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,580
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$17,000
21.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$65,016
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
$77,580
Kept after tax
$60,580
Worth in national money
$65,016
State rank
28
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Carolina sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $77,580, ranking 28 of 48 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in South Carolina. It ranks 116 out of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- Here is where South Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $77,580 you keep $60,580, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $65,016 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $79,170, because the best-paid pull it up.
- South Carolina occupies the middle band for mathematical science teachers, postsecondary: a median of $77,580, ranking 28 of 48. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Within South Carolina, mathematical science teachers, postsecondary ranks 116 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.
- After federal, FICA and South Carolina income tax, retained pay for mathematical science teachers, postsecondary on $77,580 is $60,580. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $65,016 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $79,170 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $51,340 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $77,580 |
| Top tenth earn over | $105,490 |
| This salary | $77,580 |
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 | $60,580 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $63,408 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$235 |
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 | $73,560 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$325 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $77,580 as a midpoint for South Carolina, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $51,340 and the ninetieth is $105,490 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In South Carolina the take-home figure of $60,580, from $77,580, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 116 of 492 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $65,016 uses one figure for the whole of South Carolina. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 116.
- The South Carolina median of $77,580 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $51,340 to $105,490. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for South Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $60,580 from $77,580. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 116 of 492 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $65,016, worked from $77,580, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular South Carolina address, on work sitting at 116 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $51,340 at the bottom tenth to $105,490 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in South Carolina sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $65,016 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and South Carolina adds its own income tax on top — which is why $60,580 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 48 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($51,340 to $105,490) 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 $65,016 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 $60,580 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.