Best Community Colleges in South Carolina

Why Attend Community College in South Carolina?

South Carolina boasts an impressive number of community colleges to choose from, some of the more noteworthy include the University of South Carolina Upstate, the College of Charleston, Trident Technical College, and the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. These schools offer lots of variety and flexibility in terms of course selection and schedule. Plus these programs are typically well-priced at less than $10,000 per academic year for in-state tuition. This makes them an accessible, affordable way for students to get a college degree without mortgaging away their future earnings.

What Career Pathways Are Available in South Carolina?

With 700+ job types found in the state, South Carolina ranks in the 30th percentile - sitting just 2.9% below the national median (Louisiana is considered the median state and offers 722 distinct job types). All in all, South Carolina is the 23rd largest employer in the nation with over 2 million people (which is 1.47% of the nation’s workforce). In terms of strength, the state has a substantial presence in various areas such as health care, food production, technology, and finance.

What Are The Most Common Jobs in South Carolina?

Given the state's size and number of job types, some of the most common professions in South Carolina include Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Janitors, and First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers.

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive

You can find secretaries and administrative assistants just about everywhere and South Carolina is no exception. As of the end of 2022, the state had 30,120 in this position - making it the 23rd most of any state. These positions offer about $36,860 per year in terms of salary, placing South Carolina in the 40th percentile - where 78% of states offer higher median salaries. California is currently the leader in terms of quantity, given that they employ nearly 175,000 personnel in this position - 142,440 more than South Carolina (-83%).

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

In South Carolina, janitors and cleaners are quite common, the state employs over 29,320 in this position - which is about the same amount as the nation (2,036,720 personnel and 1.44% of the national workforce). Median salary for this position in South Carolina stands at $23,400, which puts the state in 48th place (better than only 6% of states). California is once again the leader in this area, at 214,640 personnel in this job type, they are currently minus-185,320 (86%) when compared to the Palmetto state.

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

Out of all the job types in South Carolina, First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers occupy the 19th most at 27,480. As per the data, these positions pay an average of $50,890 per year (good enough for 35th in the nation), which is more than 72% of states. California is the leader in this area too, with 153,650 in this position - meaning South Carolina is about 126,170 (-82%) behind them in terms of total job quantity. That said, those that excel in this role can expect a bonus potential of up to 57%. For reference, the nation’s median salary for this type is $60,120 (in Arizona), which South Carolina falls -15.4% from.