South Carolina state government salary
 |
$21.4 billion (2014 estimate) |
This page describes the compensation, salaries and benefits that South Carolina's public employees receive from state and local government.
Information about South Carolina employees who earn less than $50,000 per year is limited, by statute, to figures that are rounded.
Legislator salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[1] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $10,400/year | $240.07/day |
State executive salaries
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
| Office and current official | Salary |
|---|---|
|
Governor of South Carolina Henry McMaster |
$106,078 |
|
Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina Pamela Evette |
$46,545 |
|
Attorney General of South Carolina Alan Wilson |
$208,000 |
|
South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond |
$135,000 |
|
South Carolina Public Service Commissioner Florence Belser |
$149,698 |
|
South Carolina Public Service Commissioner David Britt |
|
|
South Carolina Public Service Commissioner Stephen Caston |
$149,698 |
|
South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis |
$164,000 |
|
South Carolina State Auditor Sue Moss |
|
|
South Carolina Director of Natural Resources Thomas Mullikin |
$187,000 |
|
South Carolina Public Service Commissioner Delton Powers Jr. |
$151,863 |
|
South Carolina Public Service Commissioner Headen Thomas |
$149,698 |
|
Chief of Staff to the Governor of South Carolina Trey Walker |
|
|
South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers |
$162,000 |
|
South Carolina Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver |
$214,000 |
|
South Carolina Public Service Commissioner Carolyn Williams |
$149,698 |
|
South Carolina Public Service Commissioner Justin Williams |
$149,698 |
As of 2008, the salary of South Carolina's governor ranked 38th among U.S. governors' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. governors was $128,735. The median salary earned by U.S. governors was $129,962.[2]
Judicial salaries
| Associate Justices |
|---|
|
$$233,606[3] |
State profile
| Demographic data for South Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,894,834 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 30,061 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 67.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 27.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 5.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 25.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $45,483 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 22% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Carolina. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
South Carolina voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in South Carolina, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[4]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. South Carolina had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More South Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in South Carolina
- United States congressional delegations from South Carolina
- Public policy in South Carolina
- Endorsers in South Carolina
- South Carolina fact checks
- More...
See also
| South Carolina | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ ‘‘The Council of State Governments,’’ “The Book of the States: 2008”
- ↑ The salary of the chief justice may be higher than an associate justice.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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