Medical assistant salary in South Carolina
- Typical (median) pay: $19.79 an hour, or about $41,160 a year
- The middle half earns: $37,290 to $46,950
- About 12,110 people hold this job in the state
- Expected growth from 2024 to 2034: 17.7%
The median medical assistant salary in South Carolina is $41,160 a year, so half of the state's medical assistants earn more and half earn less. That works out to about $19.79 an hour in the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey.
That sits 10% under the US median of $45,690. Among the 50 states and Washington, DC, South Carolina comes in at 37 of 51 for medical assistant pay. The mean, the simple average of all wages, comes out a bit above that, at $42,340 a year.
Ready to ask about training? Choose an accredited program on our South Carolina programs page, then send the short Request information form directly to that school.
- Median a year
- $41,160
- Lowest-paid tenth
- $34,730 or less
- Best-paid tenth
- $49,110 or more
- Medical assistant jobs
- 12,110
- Job growth 2024 to 2034
- +17.7%
How does pay range from the lowest to the highest earners?
What you earn can change with your workplace and your experience. The BLS wage survey shows how pay is spread across South Carolina.
| Pay group | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $34,730 or less |
| Median | $41,160 |
| Middle 50% | $37,290 to $46,950 |
| Top 10% | $49,110 or more |
The bottom 10% earn $34,730 or less, and the top 10% earn $49,110 or more. The middle half is the range many medical assistants fall into.
Pay across South Carolina metro areas
A metro area means a city plus nearby towns, treated as one job market. A few reach across state borders, so they count workers in North Carolina or Georgia too.
| Metro area | Yearly median | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $46,520 | Highest pay and largest job count, around 6,060 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $38,470 | The lowest pay figure of any area in the state |
These 2 areas are far apart in yearly pay. The Charlotte metro area crosses the state line, so its figures include jobs in North Carolina as well as South Carolina.
| Metro area | Median a year | Median an hour | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $46,520 | $22.36 | 6,060 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $45,600 | $21.92 | 2,320 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | $44,860 | $21.57 | 2,550 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | $43,610 | $20.97 | 560 |
| Spartanburg, SC | $40,930 | $19.68 | 620 |
| Sumter, SC | $40,780 | $19.61 | 170 |
| Columbia, SC | $40,680 | $19.56 | 2,190 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | $38,950 | $18.73 | 910 |
| Florence, SC | $38,790 | $18.65 | 420 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $38,470 | $18.50 | 1,620 |
How it stacks up against other health jobs
Medical assistants in South Carolina earn more than phlebotomists and nursing assistants, and less than licensed practical nurses and registered nurses. These South Carolina medians are provided by the BLS.
| Role | South Carolina median pay |
|---|---|
| Medical assistants | $41,160 |
| Registered nurses | $82,360 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses | $61,820 |
| Phlebotomists | $39,010 |
| Nursing assistants | $37,220 |
Openings and job growth
About 12,110 medical assistants work in South Carolina, roughly 5.3 out of every 1,000 jobs. The state labor agency projects the count to climb from 11,580 in 2024 up to 13,620 by 2034, a 17.7% gain, per Projections Central. This pace is quicker than the 12.5% forecast for the US as a whole, and it puts South Carolina at 18 of 51 for growth.
The state is expected to see about 1,700 openings a year. That figure covers brand-new roles and jobs left open as people leave the job.
Getting trained as a medical assistant in South Carolina
On our list, 19 South Carolina schools share their medical assistant graduate counts with the federal College Navigator. Of those, 13 run an accredited program. Accreditation means an outside body, CAAHEP or ABHES, has reviewed the program against its standards.
Nationwide, career school programs have a median completion time of 9 months, and most run 7 to 9 months, using federal school data. The median price for a full program at these schools is $17,257, with tuition, fees and books included. Public colleges show a median in-district cost of $4,346 for one year of full-time study.
With about 1,700 openings expected each year in South Carolina, pick one of the 13 schools with an accredited program on our South Carolina programs page and send that school the short Request information form. Some programs let you take classes online, and your hands-on externship happens in person at a clinic or doctor's office.
Pay: Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey, May 2025. Growth: Projections Central. The job itself: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Medical assistant programs in South Carolina · Certification rules in South Carolina · Pay in every state