SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education — Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC · 6 metro areas compared

$35,960 /year
$17.29per hour
160jobs in area
−5.7%vs US median

The median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Hilton Head Island, SC is $35,960 per year, close to the national median of $38,140 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $38,14010TH$28,370MEDIAN$35,96075TH$66,04090TH$80,990

How pay has moved

$56,113$17,0382019202020212022202320242025$35,960
$24,130 in 2019 to $35,960 in 2025, +49% 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 about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+4.1%
Openings per year
65,500
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree

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

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC.

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

The median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Hilton Head Island, SC is $35,960 per year, close to the national median of $38,140 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $28,370 at the tenth percentile to more than $80,990 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $31,370 to $66,040.

The area has 160 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 1.9 of every thousand jobs. Charleston leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $35,710. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 233rd of 270 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$28,370−25.6%
25th$31,370−17.8%
Median (50th)$35,960−5.7%
75th$66,040+73.2%
90th$80,990+112.3%
Mean$48,510+27.2%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in South Carolina

Median annual wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Charleston$35,710870
2Greenville$34,620840
3Spartanburg$34,290350
4Myrtle Beach$33,100410
5Florence$31,600140
6Columbia$31,510560

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Hilton Head Island sit close to the national average, so $35,960 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.

Published median

$35,960as reported by BLS

Local price level

98.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$36,694US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $35,960 a year, 5.7% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $28,370 to $80,990 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 160 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Charleston, at $35,710.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Hilton Head Island, SC?

The median annual wage is $35,960, or $17.29 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 $38,140, so pay in Hilton Head Island, SC is 5.7% 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 Hilton Head Island, SC earns more than $80,990 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $28,370 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.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Charleston, at $35,710 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 160 jobs in this occupation in Hilton Head Island, SC. 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.