Software Developers salary in South Carolina

The median Software Developer in South Carolina earned $108,690 in 2024, about 22% below the national median of $138,520. That gap is real, but it tells only part of the story.

South Carolina's cost-of-living index sits at 96.6, meaning prices here run roughly 3.4% below the national average. After adjusting for that, the effective gap narrows to something closer to 19%. The state median still trails the national figure by a meaningful amount, but the difference in what the money actually buys is smaller than the headline numbers suggest.

The spread between earners here is wide. A developer at the 10th percentile earned $63,500 in 2024. One at the 90th earned $179,670. Top earners made roughly 2.8 times what bottom earners made. That kind of range usually reflects real differences in experience, technical specialty, and the kinds of companies doing the hiring. A mid-level developer at the 75th percentile ($153,780) comes close to the national median for the same role, which suggests the gap compresses considerably once someone moves past the early career stage.

The average wage of $119,610 ran above the median, which tells us a smaller group of senior developers pulls the average up. That is a common pattern in software occupations, and South Carolina is no exception.

On the outlook side, BLS projects Software Developer employment to grow 15.8% between 2024 and 2034, a rate the agency categorizes as much faster than average. That projection is national, not state-specific, but the occupational trajectory is broadly favorable.