Entry-level Elementary School Teacher salary in Columbia, SC

Based on 55 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Columbia, SC metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Lexington, Hopkins, Winnsboro, St. Matthews, West Columbia.

Also listed as: Elementary Bilingual Teacher

Median salary$57,470
Middle 50%$51.8k–$65.4k
vs. all levels here−6%comparison median $61,458
Filings55FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $45,040 and $80,051.
PercentileSalary
10th$45,040
25th$51,822
50th (median)$57,470
75th$65,371
90th$70,428

Salary by year

Median salary

$40k $55k $70k FY2021: median $48,602 (12 filings) FY2022: median $49,235 (19 filings) FY2023: median $49,110 (29 filings) FY2024: median $53,609 (32 filings) FY2025: median $57,107 (41 filings) FY2026: median $64,421 (14 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 9 filings FY20 FY2021: 12 filings FY21 FY2022: 19 filings FY22 FY2023: 29 filings FY23 FY2024: 32 filings FY24 FY2025: 41 filings FY25 FY2026: 14 filings FY26 41
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–––9
FY2021$48,602$43,273$52,42412
FY2022$49,235$42,189$54,06419
FY2023$49,110$43,242$55,55429
FY2024$53,609$47,799$59,31832
FY2025$57,107$50,000$64,64641
FY2026$64,421$58,634$67,11914

Cost of living

Columbia's median entry-level Elementary School Teacher salary of $57,470 is worth about $61,400 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Columbia = 93.7).

Compared with all workers here

All Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in the Columbia, SC area earned a median of $60,050 in May 2025 (4,360 employed). The H-1B median here is $57,470, 4% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Lexington County School District One$63,50030
Richland County School District One$50,10018
Fairfield County School Districttoo few2
Lexington Country School District Onetoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $57,470 55
Mid-level · Level II $62,787 18
Senior · Level III too few 3
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$42,740$57,47055
Mid-level · Level II$57,677$62,78718

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.