Speech-Language Pathologists in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$68,831
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$21,699
24.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$73,871
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
$90,530
Kept after tax
$68,831
Worth in national money
$73,871
State rank
26
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. South Carolina is 26 of 51 states for speech-language pathologists, with a middle wage of $90,530. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in South Carolina. It ranks 74 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 $90,530 the take-home is $68,831; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $73,871 would nationally. The average lands at $89,950, below the middle of the range.
- South Carolina ranks 26 of 51 for speech-language pathologists at $90,530. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Within South Carolina, speech-language pathologists ranks 74 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 speech-language pathologists in South Carolina, on $90,530, is $68,831 — equivalent to $73,871 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 $89,950 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
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Pay band: Speech-Language Pathologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $56,560 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $90,530 |
| Top tenth earn over | $124,070 |
| This salary | $90,530 |
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 | $68,831 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $72,518 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$755 |
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 | $85,289 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,043 |
| 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 speech-language pathologists in South Carolina earn under $90,530 and half over. The published range runs $56,560 at the tenth percentile to $124,070 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind South Carolina's $68,831, worked from $90,530. 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 74 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $73,871 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 74.
- Figures are distribution medians for speech-language pathologists in South Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $56,560 to $124,070; 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.
- The South Carolina take-home of $68,831, on $90,530 for work ranking 74 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 74 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $73,871, worked from $90,530, 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 74 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
One title, many jobs. The lowest tenth take $56,560, the highest tenth $124,070, and what separates them is experience, employer and what exactly the role does.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. South Carolina is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $73,871 in national terms.
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 $68,831.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($56,560) and the ninetieth ($124,070) 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 $73,871 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 $68,831 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.