School Psychologists in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,031
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$16,689
21.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,427
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
$76,720
Kept after tax
$60,031
Worth in national money
$64,427
State rank
37
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. South Carolina pays school psychologists a middle wage of $76,720, 37 of 51 states and about 20.08% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Within South Carolina this is well-paid work. Of 492 occupations with published figures in the state, school psychologists ranks 123 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $76,720 you keep $60,031 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $64,427 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $77,900, since top earners drag the number up.
- South Carolina's $76,720 median for school psychologists places it 37 of 51 states, about 20.08% 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.
- Ranked against every occupation South Carolina publishes a median for, school psychologists sits 123 of 492 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Retained pay in South Carolina is $60,031 after the full tax stack, from $76,720. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $64,427 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $77,900 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: School Psychologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $52,340 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $76,720 |
| Top tenth earn over | $104,450 |
| This salary | $76,720 |
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 | $60,031 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $62,803 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$201 |
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 | $72,781 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$278 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of school psychologists in South Carolina earn under $76,720 and half over. The published range runs $52,340 at the tenth percentile to $104,450 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In South Carolina the take-home figure of $60,031, from $76,720, 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 123 of 492 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of South Carolina, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $64,427, the adjusted value of that $76,720 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 123 of 492 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for school psychologists in South Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $52,340 to $104,450; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for South Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $60,031 from $76,720. 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 123 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Carolina, so $64,427 — the adjusted value of that $76,720 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 123 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $52,340 at the bottom tenth to $104,450 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 $64,427 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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, $60,031 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 ($52,340 to $104,450) 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 $64,427 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 $60,031 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.