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Columbia wages fall as state's rise — a metro out of step.
-2.4% YoY
Metro average weekly wage
vs +4.0% statewide, to $1,018 (Mar 2026)
0.1% / 0.0%
Richland/Lexington job growth
vs 1.3% Charleston County YoY
4.1%
South Carolina unemployment
vs 4.2% U.S. rate, both near 1-yr lows
29,000
National payroll growth
Sept 2026, below 45k 12-mo average
This Month's Takeaways
Columbia's wage trend runs opposite the state's.
Statewide average weekly wages grew 4.0% year-over-year to $1,296, but Columbia MSA wages declined 2.4% to $1,018 over a comparable period. That gap raises a real question for commerce leaders about whether local purchasing power and consumer spending are tracking the state narrative or falling behind it.
Richland and Lexington counties are the state's laggards.
Six of South Carolina's seven largest counties posted employment gains through March 2026, but Richland grew just 0.1% and Lexington 0.0%, versus Charleston's 1.3%. Concentration of the metro's core counties among the state's weakest performers complicates any narrative of regional parity with the coast.
Advertised pay is bifurcating along the skill line locally.
Registered nurse pay rose significantly to a $96,142 metro median and software engineer pay climbed to $154,000, while manufacturing production worker pay fell and food service pay declined moderately. This split is consistent with the national pattern of hands-on and technical-credential sectors outpacing administrative and lower-wage service roles, playing out distinctly in Columbia's mix of healthcare, education, and logistics employers.
CDL driver pay softening bears watching for logistics momentum.
Metro CDL truck driver pay moved down moderately to $78,000, matching the national median rather than exceeding it as freight and logistics activity has in past cycles. Given the Midlands' role as a distribution corridor, a softening premium on driver pay may be an early read on regional freight demand.
Local Economic Conditions
Columbia MSA nonfarm employment held near 434,900 jobs through early 2026 while Richland and Lexington counties posted flat-to-negligible year-over-year job growth (0.1% and 0.0%), lagging Charleston's 1.3% expansion and the statewide pattern of broad-based gains. Metro average weekly wages fell 2.4% year-over-year even as statewide wages rose 4.0%, pointing to a local economy growing in headcount terms but losing ground on purchasing power relative to coastal peers and the state average.
Open Threads in the Data
Flat employment growth paired with declining average weekly wages suggests Columbia's economic momentum is decoupling from the state's broader expansion, a signal commerce leaders should weigh before assuming the metro is riding South Carolina's statewide tailwind. Divergent sector performance — advertised pay climbing for registered nurses, accountants, and software engineers while manufacturing production and food service pay soften — indicates the local economy is bifurcating along skill lines rather than moving uniformly. Current conditions suggest economic development and chamber leadership evaluate sector-specific data before characterizing the metro's trajectory in aggregate terms, since headline employment figures mask meaningfully different conditions across industries.
