SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-4013 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Museum Technicians and Conservators — South Carolina

South Carolina

$38,290 /year
$18.41per hour
90jobs in area
−25.6%vs US median

At $38,290, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Museum Technicians and Conservators, 25.6% beneath the national figure of $51,440.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $51,44010TH$30,680MEDIAN$38,29075TH$49,05090TH$56,050

How pay has moved

$40,280$31,1002019202020212022202320242025$38,290
$34,280 in 2019 to $38,290 in 2025, +11.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+5.4%
Openings per year
1,900
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

12.0% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for South Carolina.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $38,290, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Museum Technicians and Conservators, 25.6% beneath the national figure of $51,440. Pay ranges from under $30,680 at the tenth percentile to more than $56,050 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $33,570 to $49,050.

The area has 90 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.50 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. South Carolina ranks number 42nd out of 45 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 713 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 591st.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · South Carolina · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$30,680−40.4%
25th$33,570−34.7%
Median (50th)$38,290−25.6%
75th$49,050−4.6%
90th$56,050+9.0%
Mean$42,010−18.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in South Carolina run 6.3% below the national average, so the median of $38,290 goes as far as $40,864 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 20.6% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$38,290as reported by BLS

Local price level

93.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$40,864US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $38,290 a year, 25.6% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $30,680 to $56,050 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 90 jobs in this occupation.
  • It ranks 42nd of 45 states for this occupation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Museum Technicians and Conservators in South Carolina?

The median annual wage is $38,290, or $18.41 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $51,440, so pay in South Carolina is 25.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in South Carolina earns more than $56,050 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $30,680 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 90 jobs in this occupation in South Carolina. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.