Compared with the local labor market
Archivist III pay vs. South Carolina
Across all employers in South Carolina, the median wage for Archivists — about 60 people — is $52,810. Department of Archives and History pays a median base salary of $55,762 for this role, 6% above that figure — about the 56th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Department of Archives and History sits in the local pay range
$36,990
$43,850
$52,810
$65,810
$79,420
Department of Archives and History median · $55,762
The bar is the range of annual wages for Archivists across every employer in South Carolina, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Archives and History’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Archivists — about 7,970 people — is $64,550. Department of Archives and History’s median base salary is 14% below that national figure, about the 34th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$39,970
$50,680
$64,550
$83,020
$110,550
Department of Archives and History median · $55,762
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the South Carolina range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Department of Archives and History is $55,762, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
This role across South Carolina
Archivist III is held in 2 South Carolina departments. In Department of Archives and History, the median of $52,636 ranks #2 of 2.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the Archivist III role in other South Carolinadepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
Archivist beyond South Carolina
This role is reported in 11 jurisdictions. In South Carolina, the median of $55,109 ranks #5 of 11. See Archivist across all of South Carolina →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Archivistroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.