Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area
Highest-Paying Occupations in Charleston Metro
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area
Figures describe the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Charleston city limits. Occupations are ranked by published median annual wage; occupations where BLS suppressed the annual median or publishes only hourly wages are not ranked (8 such occupations here).
Top 25 of 513 occupations
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anesthesiologists | $308,880 | $148.50 | Not published |
| 2 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $303,680 | $146.00 | 80 |
| 3 | Family Medicine Physicians | $255,650 | $122.91 | 230 |
| 4 | Nurse Anesthetists | $228,740 | $109.97 | Not published |
| 5 | Dermatologists | $207,000 | $99.52 | Not published |
| 6 | Chief Executives | $197,220 | $94.82 | 290 |
| 7 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $174,040 | $83.67 | 730 |
| 8 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | $170,000 | $81.73 | 40 |
| 9 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $167,000 | $80.29 | 940 |
| 10 | Physicians, All Other | $163,900 | $78.80 | 1,370 |
| 11 | Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | $162,230 | $78.00 | 200 |
| 12 | Financial Examiners | $158,960 | $76.43 | 80 |
| 13 | Optometrists | $154,660 | $74.36 | 70 |
| 14 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $150,810 | $72.51 | 50 |
| 15 | Financial Managers | $147,170 | $70.76 | 1,420 |
| 16 | Pharmacists | $145,950 | $70.17 | 920 |
| 17 | Sales Managers | $139,830 | $67.23 | 1,660 |
| 18 | Marketing Managers | $138,790 | $66.73 | 800 |
| 19 | Purchasing Managers | $138,340 | $66.51 | 220 |
| 20 | Computer Network Architects | $137,930 | $66.31 | 480 |
| 21 | Aerospace Engineers | $137,030 | $65.88 | 340 |
| 22 | Managers, All Other | $136,370 | $65.56 | 510 |
| 23 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | $135,410 | $65.10 | 450 |
| 24 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $133,430 | $64.15 | 270 |
| 25 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $132,790 | $63.84 | 730 |
The full list of every published occupation here is on the Charleston metro area overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.