Do electricians make more in Columbia or Spartanburg?

Spartanburg pays more: the median is $60,390 in Columbia and $62,050 in Spartanburg, a 3% difference.

Electrician salary in Columbia, SC

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Electricians in the Columbia, SC area earn a median of $60,390 a year, or $29.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $78,310. Statewide, electricians earn a median of $58,740; Columbia is 3% above it.

Median yearly pay$60,390

Bottom 10% under$45,330Top 10% over$78,310

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.80/hr
Jobs in this area: 1,170
After cost of living: $64,480
Median hourly pay: $29.03/hr
vs U.S. median: −4%
vs South Carolina median: +3%
Mean (average) pay: $62,340 a year · $29.97 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17900, Columbia, SC). Excludes self-employed electricians. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Pay by percentile

What electricians in Columbia, SC earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

Percentile	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$21.80	$45,330
25th percentile	$23.59	$49,060
Median (50th)	$29.03	$60,390
75th percentile	$37.27	$77,530
90th percentile	$37.65	$78,310

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Columbia, SC compares

Columbia ranks 2nd of 10 South Carolina metro areas for electrician pay.
Electricians are less concentrated in the Columbia area than nationally: 3.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.61 times the U.S. share.

Other South Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Columbia, SC

HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Elevator mechanic Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker

Questions

Do electricians make more in Columbia or Spartanburg?: Spartanburg pays more: the median is $60,390 in Columbia and $62,050 in Spartanburg, a 3% difference.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2111 (Electricians), area code 17900 (Columbia, SC). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed electricians and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (93.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures