Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$43,103
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$9,267
17.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$46,259
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
$52,370
Kept after tax
$43,103
Worth in national money
$46,259
State rank
44
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Carolina is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $52,370, ranking 44 of 51 states — about 11.76% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 492 occupations South Carolina reports figures for, this is number 253.
- South Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $52,370 the take-home is $43,103; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $46,259 would nationally. The average comes to $55,880, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- South Carolina ranks 44 of 51 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, with a median of $52,370 — about 11.76% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- In South Carolina's occupational distribution, substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors sits at 253 of 492 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors in South Carolina, on $52,370, is $43,103 — equivalent to $46,259 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 $55,880 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,010 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $52,370 |
| Top tenth earn over | $81,420 |
| This salary | $52,370 |
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 | $43,103 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $44,259 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$713 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $50,931 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$862 |
| 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 substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors in South Carolina earn under $52,370 and half over. The published range runs $35,010 at the tenth percentile to $81,420 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 $43,103, worked from $52,370. 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 253 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $46,259 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 253.
- Figures are distribution medians for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors in South Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $35,010 to $81,420; 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 $43,103, on $52,370 for work ranking 253 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 253 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $46,259, worked from $52,370, 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 253 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $55,880 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $35,010 at the bottom tenth to $81,420 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $46,259 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, $43,103 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.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in South Carolina is $55,880. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($35,010) and the ninetieth ($81,420) 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 $46,259 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 $43,103 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.