H-1B salaries in Columbia, SC

Based on 1,020 certified H-1B filings in the Columbia, SC metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Base salary only.

Median salary$88,943
Middle 50%$67.2k–$115k
vs. national median−28%comparison median $122,699
Filings1,020FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $44,850 and $473,354.
PercentileSalary
10th$57,310
25th$67,170
50th (median)$88,943
75th$115,000
90th$150,100

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $80k $100k FY2020: median $74,600 (725 filings) FY2021: median $68,841 (780 filings) FY2022: median $70,640 (756 filings) FY2023: median $80,000 (690 filings) FY2024: median $93,413 (668 filings) FY2025: median $86,000 (580 filings) FY2026: median $90,000 (440 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 725 filings FY20 FY2021: 780 filings FY21 FY2022: 756 filings FY22 FY2023: 690 filings FY23 FY2024: 668 filings FY24 FY2025: 580 filings FY25 FY2026: 440 filings FY26 780
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$74,600$62,500$97,000725
FY2021$68,841$64,792$92,000780
FY2022$70,640$64,168$94,357756
FY2023$80,000$62,102$97,482690
FY2024$93,413$63,253$113,693668
FY2025$86,000$65,500$116,244580
FY2026$90,000$70,038$114,250440

Cost of living

Columbia's median H-1B salary of $88,943 is worth about $95,000 at national average prices.

Fair market rent, 1-bedroom$1,126Per month. Source: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area).
Fair market rent, 2-bedroom$1,226Per month. Source: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area).
Price level (U.S. = 100)93.7Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Price-adjusted median$95,000Median salary ÷ (price level ÷ 100).
State income tax on wagesSC: yesSource: Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2025.

Most filed jobs

JobMedianFilings
Software Engineer$109,866237
Elementary School Teacher$61,45879
High School Teacher$62,34464
Middle School Teacher$63,02651
Data Scientist$85,00043
Systems Engineer / Architect$97,61037
QA Engineer$70,30436
Mechanical Engineer$101,65530
Physician$326,62030
Systems Analyst$92,23530
Special Education Teacher$62,41222
Civil Engineer$85,03017
Industrial Engineer$105,00017
Programmer Analyst$93,00017
Special Education Teacher (Middle School)$74,40617