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Highest-paying jobs in Charleston, South Carolina that require a bachelor's degree

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Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.

Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.

Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.

These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.

Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.

With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Charleston, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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#50. Environmental engineers

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1 / 50

#50. Environmental engineers

- Median annual wage: $93,430
- Median hourly wage: $44.92
- Total employment: 110 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#49. Project management specialists

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2 / 50

#49. Project management specialists

- Median annual wage: $94,280
- Median hourly wage: $45.33
- Total employment: 2,850 people (7.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#48. Social workers, all other

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3 / 50

#48. Social workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $94,540
- Median hourly wage: $45.45
- Total employment: 140 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#47. Software quality assurance analysts and testers

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4 / 50

#47. Software quality assurance analysts and testers

- Median annual wage: $95,520
- Median hourly wage: $45.92
- Total employment: 190 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#45. Architects, except landscape and naval

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6 / 50

#45. Architects, except landscape and naval

- Median annual wage: $96,590
- Median hourly wage: $46.44
- Total employment: 280 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#44. Management analysts

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7 / 50

#44. Management analysts

- Median annual wage: $97,090
- Median hourly wage: $46.68
- Total employment: 1,940 people (5.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#43. Civil engineers

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8 / 50

#43. Civil engineers

- Median annual wage: $98,880
- Median hourly wage: $47.54
- Total employment: 1,280 people (3.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#42. Information security analysts

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9 / 50

#42. Information security analysts

- Median annual wage: $99,150
- Median hourly wage: $47.67
- Total employment: 320 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#40. Computer systems analysts

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11 / 50

#40. Computer systems analysts

- Median annual wage: $100,400
- Median hourly wage: $48.27
- Total employment: 1,720 people (4.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#39. Financial and investment analysts

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12 / 50

#39. Financial and investment analysts

- Median annual wage: $100,570
- Median hourly wage: $48.35
- Total employment: 810 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#38. Operations research analysts

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13 / 50

#38. Operations research analysts

- Median annual wage: $100,690
- Median hourly wage: $48.41
- Total employment: 310 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#37. Sales engineers

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14 / 50

#37. Sales engineers

- Median annual wage: $100,710
- Median hourly wage: $48.42
- Total employment: 60 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#35. General and operations managers

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16 / 50

#35. General and operations managers

- Median annual wage: $101,900
- Median hourly wage: $48.99
- Total employment: 6,960 people (17.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#34. Computer programmers

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17 / 50

#34. Computer programmers

- Median annual wage: $102,560
- Median hourly wage: $49.31
- Total employment: 190 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#33. Fundraising managers

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18 / 50

#33. Fundraising managers

- Median annual wage: $102,900
- Median hourly wage: $49.47
- Total employment: 50 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#32. Construction managers

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19 / 50

#32. Construction managers

- Median annual wage: $104,210
- Median hourly wage: $50.10
- Total employment: 960 people (2.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#30. Industrial engineers

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21 / 50

#30. Industrial engineers

- Median annual wage: $105,510
- Median hourly wage: $50.72
- Total employment: 1,050 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#29. Mechanical engineers

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22 / 50

#29. Mechanical engineers

- Median annual wage: $107,140
- Median hourly wage: $51.51
- Total employment: 790 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#28. Atmospheric and space scientists

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23 / 50

#28. Atmospheric and space scientists

- Median annual wage: $107,240
- Median hourly wage: $51.56
- Total employment: 30 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#27. Nuclear engineers

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24 / 50

#27. Nuclear engineers

- Median annual wage: $111,580
- Median hourly wage: $53.64
- Total employment: 140 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#25. Training and development managers

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26 / 50

#25. Training and development managers

- Median annual wage: $118,500
- Median hourly wage: $56.97
- Total employment: 110 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#24. Computer hardware engineers

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27 / 50

#24. Computer hardware engineers

- Median annual wage: $120,810
- Median hourly wage: $58.08
- Total employment: 230 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#23. Medical and health services managers

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28 / 50

#23. Medical and health services managers

- Median annual wage: $121,120
- Median hourly wage: $58.23
- Total employment: 1,470 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#22. Administrative services managers

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29 / 50

#22. Administrative services managers

- Median annual wage: $121,790
- Median hourly wage: $58.56
- Total employment: Not available

#20. Managers, all other

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31 / 50

#20. Managers, all other

- Median annual wage: $125,540
- Median hourly wage: $60.36
- Total employment: 640 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#19. Sales managers

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32 / 50

#19. Sales managers

- Median annual wage: $125,570
- Median hourly wage: $60.37
- Total employment: 1,340 people (3.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#18. Industrial production managers

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33 / 50

#18. Industrial production managers

- Median annual wage: $126,140
- Median hourly wage: $60.65
- Total employment: 1,030 people (2.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#17. Engineers, all other

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34 / 50

#17. Engineers, all other

- Median annual wage: $126,170
- Median hourly wage: $60.66
- Total employment: 490 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#15. Human resources managers

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36 / 50

#15. Human resources managers

- Median annual wage: $126,330
- Median hourly wage: $60.74
- Total employment: 370 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#14. Marketing managers

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37 / 50

#14. Marketing managers

- Median annual wage: $126,630
- Median hourly wage: $60.88
- Total employment: 600 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#13. Computer network architects

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38 / 50

#13. Computer network architects

- Median annual wage: $127,020
- Median hourly wage: $61.07
- Total employment: 320 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#12. Computer occupations, all other

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39 / 50

#12. Computer occupations, all other

- Median annual wage: $127,460
- Median hourly wage: $61.28
- Total employment: 1,720 people (4.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#10. Financial managers

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41 / 50

#10. Financial managers

- Median annual wage: $132,490
- Median hourly wage: $63.70
- Total employment: 1,530 people (3.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#9. Purchasing managers

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42 / 50

#9. Purchasing managers

- Median annual wage: $133,770
- Median hourly wage: $64.31
- Total employment: 220 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#7. Marine engineers and naval architects (tie)

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43 / 50

#7. Marine engineers and naval architects (tie)

- Median annual wage: $134,430
- Median hourly wage: $64.63
- Total employment: 40 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#7. Electronics engineers, except computer (tie)

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44 / 50

#7. Electronics engineers, except computer (tie)

- Median annual wage: $134,430
- Median hourly wage: $64.63
- Total employment: 450 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#5. Physical scientists, all other

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46 / 50

#5. Physical scientists, all other

- Median annual wage: $138,060
- Median hourly wage: $66.37
- Total employment: 30 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#4. Natural sciences managers

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47 / 50

#4. Natural sciences managers

- Median annual wage: $148,390
- Median hourly wage: $71.34
- Total employment: 130 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#3. Computer and information systems managers

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48 / 50

#3. Computer and information systems managers

- Median annual wage: $157,580
- Median hourly wage: $75.76
- Total employment: 870 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#2. Architectural and engineering managers

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49 / 50

#2. Architectural and engineering managers

- Median annual wage: $168,290
- Median hourly wage: $80.91
- Total employment: 600 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#1. Chief executives

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50 / 50

#1. Chief executives

- Median annual wage: $190,080
- Median hourly wage: $91.39
- Total employment: 490 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.

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