Soil and Plant Scientists in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$61,389
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$17,461
22.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$65,884
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
$78,850
Kept after tax
$61,389
Worth in national money
$65,884
State rank
16
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. South Carolina is 16 of 46 states for soil and plant scientists, with a middle wage of $78,850. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within South Carolina this is well-paid work. Of 492 occupations with published figures in the state, soil and plant scientists ranks 107 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- South Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $78,850 the take-home is $61,389; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $65,884 would nationally. The average lands at $77,940, below the middle of the range.
- South Carolina ranks 16 of 46 for soil and plant scientists at $78,850. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Ranked against every occupation South Carolina publishes a median for, soil and plant scientists sits 107 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.
- Post-tax income for soil and plant scientists in South Carolina, on $78,850, is $61,389 — equivalent to $65,884 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 $77,940 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
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Pay band: Soil and Plant Scientists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $37,900 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $78,850 |
| Top tenth earn over | $108,890 |
| This salary | $78,850 |
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 | $61,389 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $64,301 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$286 |
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 | $74,710 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$396 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $78,850 as a midpoint for South Carolina, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $37,900 and the ninetieth is $108,890 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $61,389 take-home in South Carolina comes from $78,850. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 107 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $65,884 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 107.
- The South Carolina median of $78,850 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $37,900 to $108,890. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $61,389, from $78,850, assumes a single South Carolina filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 107 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 16 of 46 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $65,884, worked from $78,850, 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 107 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
Because one job title covers very different work. The bottom tenth here earn $37,900 and the top tenth $108,890 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
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 $65,884 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; South Carolina then takes its own share, leaving $61,389.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 46 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($37,900) and the ninetieth ($108,890) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $65,884 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 $61,389 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 46 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.