Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Sumter, SC MSA — October 2026
Sumter unemployment falls as its job base shrinks.
Sumter MSA unemployment dropped to 4.8% even as nonfarm payrolls fell 1.8% year-over-year, while local Financial Analyst pay slid to $76,878 against a stable $94,646 national median.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Sumter unemployment rate: 4.8% — Down 0.6 pts month-over-month, Sept. 2026
- Sumter nonfarm payrolls: 37,500 — Down 700 jobs (-1.8%) year-over-year
- Sumter avg. weekly wage: $944.46 — vs $1,296 SC statewide average
- CFO turnover rate (national): 18.3% — Highest since pandemic, Crist|Kolder 2026
Key takeaways
Sumter's falling unemployment rate masks a shrinking job base.
Nonfarm payrolls declined 1.8% year-over-year even as the unemployment rate dropped to 4.8%, consistent with workers exiting the local labor force rather than a strengthening hiring market. Headcount planning built on the unemployment rate alone risks overstating local labor supply.
Financial Analyst pay is diverging sharply from national trend.
Metro advertised pay for Financial Analysts sits at $76,878, down significantly and 18.8% below the stable national median of $94,646. Organizations recruiting against national postings may be underpricing the role locally or losing candidates to remote opportunities paying national rates.
Controller pay is climbing while FP&A Manager pay softens.
Metro Controller advertised pay rose to $120,055, outpacing the national median of $115,420, while FP&A Manager pay fell to $118,125 against a rising national figure of $130,000. Divergent trajectories within the finance leadership tier suggest employers are prioritizing oversight and compliance roles over forward-planning functions this cycle.
CFO turnover risk compounds a thin local talent bench.
National CFO turnover is projected at 18.3% for 2026, the highest since the pandemic, with 85% of CFOs reporting finance talent shortages. In a metro already showing payroll contraction, backfilling senior finance leadership may take longer and cost more than national benchmarks suggest.
Median advertised pay by role — Sumter, SC MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $76,199 | $120,055 | $124,761 | Significant increase | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant * | $69,709 | $82,500 | $87,634 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $56,931 | $76,878 | $90,000 | Significant decline | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $36,055 | $45,000 | $47,840 | Significant increase | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist * | $36,086 | $58,781 | $70,720 | Stable | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $45,100 | $65,544 | $70,863 | Stable | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $97,625 | $118,125 | $130,000 | Moderate decline | $130,000 |
* 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
Local market conditions
Sumter MSA unemployment fell to 4.8% in September, down 0.6 points month-over-month, yet nonfarm payrolls sit at 37,500 — 700 jobs (-1.8%) below year-ago levels, a signal that fewer workers in the labor force rather than hiring strength is driving the rate improvement. Average weekly wages of $944.46 remain well below the state's $1,296 average, reflecting Sumter's manufacturing and healthcare-weighted base against Charleston and Columbia's higher-wage professional services concentration.
What it means
Local Financial Analyst advertised pay has dropped sharply to $76,878 against a stable national median of $94,646 — an 18-point gap that complicates headcount cost planning if Sumter-based finance teams benchmark against national data rather than metro-specific intelligence. Payroll shrinkage alongside falling unemployment points to a thinner, more selective labor pool for finance support roles even as broader state wage growth (4.0%) outpaces the metro figure, raising retention exposure during close and audit cycles. Consider reviewing whether Financial Analyst and FP&A Manager compensation bands reflect Sumter's actual advertised pay trajectory rather than statewide or national benchmarks before the next budget cycle.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Nonfarm payrolls have declined year-over-year for multiple months despite falling unemployment. Track whether the October/November jobs reports show labor force re-entry or continued contraction, which would materially change hiring timelines for finance support roles.
Emerging pressure point: South Carolina's average weekly wage growth (4.0%) continues to outpace Sumter's metro figure. Widening divergence may force a compensation correction for Controller and senior finance roles to retain talent against Columbia and Charleston competition.
Early indicator: National shift toward contract finance talent (70% of leaders increasing contractor use in H2 2026) has not yet shown clear signal in Sumter postings. Watch local job ad composition for contract/interim finance postings as a leading indicator of budget-driven headcount flexibility.
Potential inflection point: State WARN activity remains concentrated in manufacturing and logistics, sectors with meaningful presence in Sumter. A local WARN filing would test whether released talent includes finance and accounting staff that could ease the current pay pressure on analyst-level roles.
Sources
- SC Department of Employment and Workforce — Sumter MSA unemployment rate and payroll figures
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Sumter average weekly wage figure for June 2026
- SC Department of Employment and Workforce — South Carolina statewide wage growth of 4.0%
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% for 2026
- MAVI — 85% of CFOs report finance talent shortages
- Robert Half / AFP FP&A Forum — 70% of finance leaders increasing contract talent use
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.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.