Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Columbia, SC MSA — September 2026
Columbia wages fall as state's rise — a metro out of step.
Columbia MSA average weekly wages dropped 2.4% year-over-year to $1,018 even as South Carolina's statewide wages climbed 4.0% to $1,296, with Richland and Lexington counties posting near-zero job growth against Charleston's 1.3%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro average weekly wage: -2.4% YoY — vs +4.0% statewide, to $1,018 (Mar 2026)
- Richland/Lexington job growth: 0.1% / 0.0% — vs 1.3% Charleston County YoY
- South Carolina unemployment: 4.1% — vs 4.2% U.S. rate, both near 1-yr lows
- National payroll growth: 29,000 — Sept 2026, below 45k 12-mo average
Key takeaways
Columbia's wage trend runs opposite the state's.
Statewide average weekly wages grew 4.0% year-over-year to $1,296, but Columbia MSA wages declined 2.4% to $1,018 over a comparable period. That gap raises a real question for commerce leaders about whether local purchasing power and consumer spending are tracking the state narrative or falling behind it.
Richland and Lexington counties are the state's laggards.
Six of South Carolina's seven largest counties posted employment gains through March 2026, but Richland grew just 0.1% and Lexington 0.0%, versus Charleston's 1.3%. Concentration of the metro's core counties among the state's weakest performers complicates any narrative of regional parity with the coast.
Advertised pay is bifurcating along the skill line locally.
Registered nurse pay rose significantly to a $96,142 metro median and software engineer pay climbed to $154,000, while manufacturing production worker pay fell and food service pay declined moderately. This split is consistent with the national pattern of hands-on and technical-credential sectors outpacing administrative and lower-wage service roles, playing out distinctly in Columbia's mix of healthcare, education, and logistics employers.
CDL driver pay softening bears watching for logistics momentum.
Metro CDL truck driver pay moved down moderately to $78,000, matching the national median rather than exceeding it as freight and logistics activity has in past cycles. Given the Midlands' role as a distribution corridor, a softening premium on driver pay may be an early read on regional freight demand.
Median advertised pay by role — Columbia, SC MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,800 | $29,062 | $33,498 | Moderate increase | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $22,098 | $26,000 | $28,080 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $29,207 | $34,195 | $37,440 | Stable | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $54,149 | $78,000 | $89,700 | Moderate decline | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $26,645 | $32,655 | $37,037 | Stable | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $31,200 | $35,849 | $38,480 | Stable | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $55,917 | $67,195 | $73,513 | Moderate increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,467 | $35,360 | $38,480 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $31,224 | $37,440 | $40,000 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $26,430 | $28,127 | $31,200 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $31,200 | $35,438 | $39,520 | Stable | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $31,711 | $39,201 | $42,750 | Stable | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $53,118 | $67,110 | $76,180 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $81,382 | $96,142 | $105,040 | Significant increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $120,875 | $154,000 | $171,000 | Moderate increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $99,285 | $142,396 | $159,248 | Moderate increase | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $55,977 | $69,321 | $77,489 | Significant increase | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $71,047 | $90,000 | $102,258 | Significant increase | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $51,748 | $73,654 | $83,567 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $43,945 | $58,852 | $70,770 | Stable | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager | $78,593 | $82,540 | $82,540 | Moderate increase | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $43,680 | $60,629 | $65,360 | Significant increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $64,771 | $95,404 | $117,061 | Significant increase | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $55,661 | $78,053 | $78,053 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $72,728 | $90,124 | $104,111 | Moderate increase | $98,279 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $68,640 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $100,000 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $42,640 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $59,912 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Information | $130,789 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $103,770 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $87,189 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $72,271 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $32,459 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $62,239 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Columbia MSA nonfarm employment held near 434,900 jobs through early 2026 while Richland and Lexington counties posted flat-to-negligible year-over-year job growth (0.1% and 0.0%), lagging Charleston's 1.3% expansion and the statewide pattern of broad-based gains. Metro average weekly wages fell 2.4% year-over-year even as statewide wages rose 4.0%, pointing to a local economy growing in headcount terms but losing ground on purchasing power relative to coastal peers and the state average.
What it means
Flat employment growth paired with declining average weekly wages suggests Columbia's economic momentum is decoupling from the state's broader expansion, a signal commerce leaders should weigh before assuming the metro is riding South Carolina's statewide tailwind. Divergent sector performance — advertised pay climbing for registered nurses, accountants, and software engineers while manufacturing production and food service pay soften — indicates the local economy is bifurcating along skill lines rather than moving uniformly. Current conditions suggest economic development and chamber leadership evaluate sector-specific data before characterizing the metro's trajectory in aggregate terms, since headline employment figures mask meaningfully different conditions across industries.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Richland and Lexington county employment growth has trailed Charleston and the statewide average for multiple quarters. Watch whether Q3 2026 county-level data from SC Department of Employment and Workforce shows any convergence or further divergence.
Emerging pressure point: Columbia's average weekly wage decline contrasts with a 4.0% statewide gain, a gap wide enough to affect local consumer spending estimates used in commercial real estate and retail site-selection decisions. Confirmation in the next wage release would sharpen the case that Columbia is underperforming its own state.
Potential inflection point: National WARN filings have pulled a mix of logistics and manufacturing names (Tyson Foods, Spirit Airlines) into the layoff conversation, and South Carolina's own WARN activity has concentrated in manufacturing and food/hospitality. Monitor SC DEW's WARN notice list for any Midlands-based filings that would extend this pattern locally.
Early indicator: National payroll growth slowed sharply to 29,000 in September with downward revisions to July and August, and South Carolina's own job creation has leaned on leisure/hospitality and government rather than private-sector expansion. Columbia's heavy state-government and university employment base may offer more stability than peer metros if the national slowdown persists.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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