South Carolina · Salary guide
Charleston-North Charleston, SC CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the Charleston-North Charleston metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · Charleston-North Charleston metro
$79,350
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$65.4K–$104.5K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$138.6K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
-5.2%
South Carolina · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the Charleston-North Charleston metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in Charleston-North Charleston?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the Charleston-North Charleston metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
-5.2%
The Charleston-North Charleston metro vs the national median and +3.6% vs South Carolina statewide.
South Carolina guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$88,900
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$138.6K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payCharleston-North Charleston metro
verified local median
$79,350
-5.2%South Carolina statewide
verified state median
$76,560
-8.5%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
Charleston-North Charleston runs -5.2% vs the national median and +3.6% vs South Carolina statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in Charleston-North Charleston
What the Charleston-North Charleston median actually buys once local prices are accounted for. Nominal pay is the verified BLS figure; the buying-power view divides it by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity (2024) for the metro.
Nominal
$79.4K
Price level
101/100
Real pay
$78.6K
Local prices run 1% above the national average, so some of that pay is absorbed by higher local costs — Charleston-North Charleston slips 168 places once adjusted for buying power.
Real pay · BEA-adjustedA high nominal salary in an expensive metro can buy less than a smaller salary in a low-cost one. Real pay reorders the map by buying power — but it is not take-home pay: it excludes taxes, benefits, and housing choices.
See real pay across all metros →Best ways to use this page
- 1View percentiles
Find your percentile
See where your pay sits across the Charleston-North Charleston range, from entry level to top earners.
- 2See pay by role
Check your role
Pay climbs steeply from staff to controller. See the estimate for your title in this metro.
- 3Open the calculator
Model your own number
Set role, experience, license, and employer for a tailored estimate — equity and bonus broken out.
- 4Submit your pay
Add your salary
Anonymous, two minutes. Submissions are how role- and employer-level pay becomes real data.
Charleston-North Charleston metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$38.15/hr median hourly · $91,850 average
Percentiles · Charleston-North Charleston
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $54,040 | $25.98/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $65,380 | $31.43/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $79,350 | $38.15/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $104,460 | $50.22/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $138,620 | $66.64/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in Charleston-North Charleston
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the Charleston-North Charleston metro, estimated pay runs from $112,700 (Accounting Manager) to $309,500 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $309,500 | ||
| Partner | $285,700 | ||
| Director of Finance | $194,400 | ||
| Senior Manager | $162,700 | ||
| Controller | $154,700 | ||
| Tax Manager | $123,000 | ||
| Audit Manager | $123,000 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $112,700 | ||
| Audit Senior | $87,300 | ||
| Tax Senior | $85,700 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $80,900 | ||
| Audit Associate | $65,900 | ||
| Tax Associate | $65,100 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $61,900 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
CPA pay by experience in Charleston-North Charleston
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $68,200 | $76,400 |
| 2–4 years | $76,200 | $85,300 |
| 5–7 years | $85,700 | $96,000 |
| 8–12 years | $95,200 | $106,600 |
| 13–20 years | $104,700 | $117,300 |
| 20+ years | $112,700 | $126,200 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in Charleston-North Charleston
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at a manager-level base on the metro median. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $137,800 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $129,100 | +0.9% |
| Regional firm | $120,500 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $113,200 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $127,900 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in Charleston-North Charleston
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
Charleston-North Charleston market
The Charleston-North Charleston metro’s measured accountant pay sits modestly below the national median, at -5.2%. Within the state it runs modestly above the South Carolina median (+3.6%) — it pays above the South Carolina median, so it concentrates the state’s higher-paying accounting roles. Metro pay reflects the local cost of labor and the density of large employers and public-accounting firms more than the job title itself. This is a direct BLS wage measurement for the metro, not an estimate scaled from the national figure.
Cost of labor
Charleston-North Charleston wages track the local cost of living and employer competition — denser, higher-cost metros pay above the statewide median.
Employer mix
Big 4 and national firms pay a brand premium; regional/local firms and government pay below industry roles at the same level.
Role & experience
Pay roughly doubles from staff to controller. The CPA license adds a modeled premium and unlocks senior roles.
Remote & hybrid
Remote roles can pay to a national band rather than the local one, widening access to higher-paying employers.
How to use these figures
Charleston-North Charleston metro figures here are a direct BLS wage measurement — but they cover accountants and auditors as a single occupation, so they are not specific to the CPA license, your role, or your employer. Use them as a local baseline, then model your own situation and submit a salary to sharpen the employer-level detail BLS does not publish.
Other metros
Compare nearby metro pay
CPA pay across other major metros — large, high-cost areas pay the strongest.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a CPA make in Charleston-North Charleston?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the Charleston-North Charleston metro is about $79,350 (-5.2% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does Charleston-North Charleston pay more than the rest of South Carolina?
- Large metros like Charleston-North Charleston typically pay above their statewide median due to higher cost of living and a denser concentration of large employers and public-accounting firms.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your Charleston-North Charleston salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.