Data Scientist Salary in South Carolina (2026)
Average Data Scientist pay in South Carolina
$102,830/year
≈ $49/hour before tax
After tax (single filer)
$76,779/year
$6,398/month · effective tax rate 25.33%
- Federal $13,793
- State $4,391
- FICA $7,866
- Take-home
Pay by role in South Carolina
- Senior / Staff Data ScientistBLS · 75th–90th percentile$123,880–$156,000
- Data Scientist (any industry)BLS · middle 50%$78,550–$123,880
- Junior / New Grad Data ScientistBLS · 10th–25th percentile$61,600–$78,550
See the full tax breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $76,779 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $6,398 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,953 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $37/hr |
Federal Tax | $13,793 |
State Tax | $4,391 |
FICA Taxes | $7,866 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 25.33% |
Not all Data Scientists earn the same — not even close
South Carolina's data scientist market is anchored by BMW Spartanburg (~11K SC employees with substantial manufacturing analytics + connected vehicle telemetry ML for BMW's global X-series production), BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina HQ Columbia (~12K employees with substantial federal healthcare claims + fraud detection + actuarial ML), MUSC Charleston (academic medical center clinical research + cancer research ML), Boeing 787 Charleston (cleared aerospace manufacturing analytics), Sonoco Products HQ Hartsville (Fortune 500 packaging supply chain ML), Michelin North America HQ Greenville (tire manufacturing + telematics ML), plus Prisma Health + Roper healthcare analytics.
Senior / Staff Data Scientist
$123,880–$156,000
BMW Director DS · BCBS Principal · Boeing Director · senior IC + leadership
Source: BLS May 2025 · Data Scientists · South Carolina · 75th–90th percentile
Data Scientist (any industry)
$78,550–$123,880
Functional DS at SC Fortune 500 · transitioning to senior band
Source: BLS May 2025 · Data Scientists · South Carolina · middle 50%
Junior / New Grad Data Scientist
$61,600–$78,550
Clemson MS Data Science + USC Statistics + College of Charleston pipeline · entry band
Source: BLS May 2025 · Data Scientists · South Carolina · 10th–25th percentile
Worth knowing: BMW Manufacturing Co. Spartanburg's manufacturing analytics organization is the country's largest single-OEM automotive manufacturing analytics environment outside Tesla and a feature most national DS surveys understate for SC. BMW Spartanburg (~$11B revenue, ~11K SC employees, BMW Group's largest global plant by output producing X3/X5/X6/X7/XM crossover SUVs for the world plus all of BMW's hybrid and EV SUV production in North America) operates substantial manufacturing analytics + yield + quality + supply chain ML supporting ~450K vehicle annual production. Senior BMW Spartanburg manufacturing DS clear $135-210K TC. BlueCross BlueShield of SC Columbia operates the country's largest US private federal healthcare claims analytics organization — substantial TRICARE + CMS Medicare claims processing analytics at federal contractor scale. The Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC Charleston (one of only 73 NCI-designated cancer centers nationally) operates substantial clinical research data science + cancer genomics ML. Sonoco Products HQ Hartsville (Fortune 500 packaging, ~$7B revenue, founded 1899) operates global supply chain + manufacturing analytics. Clemson University engineering + USC research anchor academic pipeline. SC's 5.21% top rate (H.4216, 2026) applies above $30,000 of SC taxable income, so it reaches nearly all senior DS — and it is far below OR/MN's 9.85-9.9% tops. SC taxes the first $30,000 of SC taxable income at 1.99% (H.4216, 2026).
Sources & Methodology
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 — 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction
- →IRS Notice 2025-67 — 2026 retirement-plan contribution limits
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19 — 2026 HSA contribution limits
- →Social Security Administration — 2026 Social Security wage base
- →Individual income tax rates and filing information (SC Department of Revenue)
- →BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — Data Scientist wage data for South Carolina
Salary figures are market estimates for Data Scientists in South Carolina and vary by employer, specialty, seniority, and metro. Take-home math assumes a single filer with no dependents, the standard deduction, and South Carolina 2026 state rates. Local taxes, insurance premiums, and pre-tax contributions will move your number — run the calculator for your own situation.
Run your own numbers
- South Carolina paycheck calculator → · 401(k), HSA, dependents
- RSU calculator → · flat 22% withholding often falls short
- Bonus calculator → · year-end, sign-on, retention
- Capital-gains calculator → · long-term rates, NIIT, state tax
Frequently Asked Questions
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