
South Carolina Teacher Salary
As a South Carolina teacher, you’ll receive a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits and opportunities to grow your career. We'll tell you everything you need to know.
South Carolina’s average teacher salary is around $53,000, and most salaries are on the rise. (1) In fact, since 2015, the state’s minimum teacher salary has increased by over 20 percent! (2)
On this page, you'll find everything you need to know about salary and benefits for South Carolina teachers.
Get information on:
How Much Do Teachers Make In South Carolina?
There are a number of ways you can increase your salary, such as earning advanced degrees or leading extracurriculars. You can also earn bonuses when you meet certain performance benchmarks, or if you earn your National Board Certification.
How Much Do Similar Professions Make in South Carolina?
Salary numbers are important information, but you may also be wondering how teacher salaries compare to other professions.

A South Carolina school teacher salary is comparable to or even higher than many other fields. Plus, teachers usually work just 180–190 days each year—compared to 260 work days a year in most other fields.
Compare average salaries and work days across the state (8):
Industry |
Job |
Days of work per year |
Average Salary |
---|---|---|---|
Education | Teacher | 185 | $53K |
Business and Finance | Credit Counselor | 260 | $40K |
Law | Paralegal or Legal Assistant | 260 | $43K |
Social Services | Social Worker | 260 | $44K |
Art and Design | Graphic Designer | 260 | $45K |
Healthcare | Registered Nurse | 260 | $66K |
Technology | Web Developer | 260 | $73K |
Benefits for Teachers
Now is a great time to become a teacher. Teachers are in high demand across South Carolina, and the number of teaching opportunities is projected to grow in the coming years.
How Much Job Security Will I Have as a Teacher?

Now is a great time to become a teacher. Teachers are in high demand across South Carolina, and the number of teaching opportunities is projected to grow in the coming years. (12)
You’ll have extra job security if you get certified in a critical need subject or critical need geographic area.
Learn more about critical need areas at our About Certification page. You can also visit the SC Department of Education Critical Need Areas page for a list of current critical need geographic areas in South Carolina.
Career Growth for Teachers
Your teaching journey doesn’t necessarily need to start and end in the classroom. As an educator, you can grow your career—and your salary—by moving into an advanced teaching role, getting certified to teach additional subjects, becoming a school or district leader, working on education policy… The sky’s the limit!
Want to learn more about career growth possibilities for teachers? Visit our Teacher Career Path Guide for more ideas and options.
Want to stay in the classroom?
If your heart is in the classroom, you can teach and grow into specialized leadership roles. For example, you could become:
- A peer evaluator who offers instructional support and feedback to colleagues.
- A mentor teacher who helps student teachers and early career teachers develop their teaching skills and strategies.
- A lead teacher who runs your academic department at your school.
Many districts provide extra pay for these leadership roles.
Interested in opportunities outside the classroom?
After you have some teaching experience under your belt, you might be curious about shifting your career focus. School or district leadership positions can be a great next step. Assistant principals, principals, curriculum coordinators and superintendents all help South Carolina schools and districts run smoothly to support teachers and students.
These administrative roles also come with their own salary schedules and salary bumps. For example, you could earn:
- $85K–$100K as an elementary school principal in Jasper County School District (13)
- $64K–$92K as a coordinator in Richland One
- $74K–$106K as a middle school assistant principal in Richland One (14)
- $89K–$124K as a high school principal in Rock Hill Schools (15)
These salaries are samples, to give you a sense of the types of jobs and salaries available in school and district leadership.
Get Free 1:1 Advice

This page is meant as a general overview or starting point—but there’s a lot more info where this came from! A TeachSC coach can answer all your questions about what it’s like to be a teacher in South Carolina. Visit the TeachSC coaching page to set up a free session.
References
- “Teacher Pay and Student Spending: How Does Your State Rank?” National Education Association. April 23, 2021. https://www.nea.org/resource-library/teacher-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank
- “South Carolina State Department of Education 2014-15 State Minimum Salary Schedule.” South Carolina Department of Education. Ed.SC.gov. https://ed.sc.gov/finance/financial-data/historical-data/teacher-salary-schedules/fiscal-year-2014-2015-state-minimum-teacher-salary-schedule/
- “NEA 2019-2020 Teacher Salary Benchmark Report.” National Education Association. April 26, 2021. https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2019-2020%20Teacher%20Salary%20Benchmark%20Report.pdf
- “H.5150 General Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2022–2023, Part 1B.” South Carolina General Assembly. https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess124_2021-2022/appropriations2021/gab4100.php
- “South Carolina Department of Education Update: SCASBO 2021 Fall Conference.” South Carolina Association of School Business Officials. November 4, 2021. https://scasbo.net/2024-spring-conference/conferences/
- Cost of Living in South Carolina. Salary.com. https://www.salary.com/research/cost-of-living/sc
- National Board Certification. South Carolina Department of Education. https://www.ed.sc.gov/finance/financial-services/national-board-certification/
- Salary Finder. CareerOneStop. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/wages/find-salary.aspx
- Employees. Public Employee Benefit Authority. https://www.peba.sc.gov/employees
- South Carolina Retirement System. Public Employee Benefit Authority. https://www.peba.sc.gov/plans/scrs
- South Carolina Optional Retirement Program. Public Employee Benefit Authority. https://www.peba.sc.gov/sorp
- Fastest-Growing Careers. CareerOneStop. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/careers/fastest-growing-careers.aspx?persist=true&location=SC
- 2021-2022 Salary Schedules. Jasper County School District. https://www.jcsd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=434845&type=d&pREC_ID=1374787
- 2021-2022 Employee Handbook. Richland One Human Resources. Richland School District One. https://www.richlandone.org/Page/5179
- Salary Scales. Rock Hill Schools. https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/Page/4454
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