South Carolina state government salary
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This page describes the compensation, salaries, and benefits that South Carolina's public employees receive from state and local government.
Information about South Carolina employees who earn less than $50,000 per year is limited, by statute, to figures that are rounded. The newspaper The State publishes a database of South Carolina government employee salary information. Users can search by a partial name, a partial agency name, or all employees in an agency. It also has handy lists of employees earning more than $150,000 and $100,000, along with the top 5 highest-paid employees by agency.
The South Carolina Budget and Control Board's website that provides the salaries of all employees earning $50,000 or more, pursuant to South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.
[edit] Elected officials' salaries
| Office | '10 Salary | Current Official |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | $106,078 | Nikki Haley |
| Lieutenant Governor | $46,545 | Glenn McConnell |
| Secretary of State | $92,007 | Mark Hammond |
| Attorney General | $92,007 | Alan Wilson |
| Treasurer | $92,007 | Curtis Loftis |
The salary of South Carolina's governor ranks 38th among U.S. governors' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. governors is $128,735. The median salary earned by U.S. governors is $129,962.[2]
[edit] Legislators salary
South Carolina state legislators receive an annual salary of $10,400.[3] Legislators receive a per diem up to $131 per day for meals and housing for each statewide session day and committee meeting.[3]
Two bills, H. 3504, H. 3505, could cut legislators and agency salaries by 25 percent if passed.[4]
[edit] Judicial salaries
| Position | '10 Salary | Current Justice |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | $144,029 | Jean Hoefer Toal |
| Associate Justice | $137,171 | Kaye Hearn |
| Associate Justice | $137,171 | John Waller |
| Associate Justice | $137,171 | Costa Pleicones |
| Associate Justice | $137,171 | Donald Beatty |
The salary of South Carolina's chief justice ranks 32nd among U.S. chief justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $155,230. The median salary earned by U.S. chief justices is $151,284.[5]
The salary of South Carolina's associate justices ranks 37th among U.S. associate justices' salaries. The average salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $151,142. The median salary earned by U.S. associate justices is $145,984.[5]
[edit] State and local employees
According to 2008 Census data, the state of South Carolina and local governments in the state employed a total of 290,248 people.[6] Of those employees, 241,725 were full-time employees receiving a net pay of $826,764,431 per month and 48,703 were part-time employees paid $48,338,796 per month.[6] More than 54% of those employees, or 159,155 employees, were in education or higher education.[6]
As of 2010, 15,224 employees in South Carolina make over $50,000/year. Their combined salaries equal $1,133,969,806.00.[7]
In 2011, the South Carolina Retirement Investment Commission voted to increase the salary of Robert Borden, Chief Investment Officer of the South Carolina Retirement System, to $485,000, an increase of 37 percent. The raise makes him one of the state’s highest paid employees.[8]
[edit] State employee benefits
[edit] Paid time off
Holidays State employees receive the following 12 paid holidays[9] name:
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- George Washington's Birthday/President's Day
- Confederate Memorial Day
- National Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Day after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
- Day after Christmas
Annual Leave State employees working 40 hours per week earn 1.25 days of annual leave per month for a total of 15 days per year. Annual leave for a part-time employees in a permanent position is based on the number of hours worked per week.[9]
After 10 years of service with the State, employees earn annual leave at a higher rate that increases annually for each year of service. No more than 45 annual leave days may be carried over from one calendar year to the next.[9]
Sick leave State employees working 40 hours per week earn 1.25 days of sick leave per month for a total of 15 days per year. Employees may use up to 10 days of sick leave annually to care for immediate family members. Up to 180 sick leave days may be carried over from one calendar year to the next. [9]
[edit] Insurance
Full-time, permanent employees are eligible for insurance benefits.[10]
Medical
Employees can choose from three different health plans, including a PPO and two HMOs[11] All plans include prescription and mental health coverage.[11]
The different plans each cost the state approximately $260 for an employee seeking individual coverage in 2010.[12] The PPO offers a savings plan and a standard plan. The standard plan costs employees $9.28. per month for individual coverage and the standard plan costs $93.46 per month for individual coverage.[11] The HMOs cost employees either $185.56 or $251 per month for individual coverage.[11]
On. Aug. 9, 2011, however, the state Budget and Control Board voted to raise premiums for the state health plan by 4.5% for both employees and the state, with the amount of the increase depending on several factors. The average increase will be $6.82 per month.[13]
Dental
Dental insurance is available to employees, and at no cost to an employee with basic individual coverage.[12] The state contributes $11.71 per month.[12]
Vision
Vision insurance is available to employees as well. Individual coverage costs $7.76 per month.[12]
Life
The state provides free term life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance to employees enrolled in a health plan. Employees younger than 70 receive $3,000 in life insurance. Those 70 and older receive $1,500.[11] Employees can increase the amount with supplemental coverage.[11]
Other
Employees can also opt to add basic long term disability insurance, supplemental long term disability insurance and long term care insurance.[11]
[edit] Retirement
Newly hired state employees may elect membership in the South Carolina Retirement System (SCRS) defined benefit plan or the State Optional Retirement Program (State ORP) defined contribution plan. Regardless of the plan, employees contribute a tax-deferred 6.5% of gross pay into their retirement account.[14] Each employee's account earns 4 percent interest compounded annually on your balance as of the previous June 30.[15] The employer contributes 9.24%.[16]
In addition, the SC Deferred Compensation Program (SCDCP) offers two voluntary supplemental retirement plans to South Carolina’s state employees. The SCDCP’s 401(k) and 457 plans permit employees to save on a pre-tax basis for retirement.[14]
[edit] Other benefits
- Flexible Spending Accounts enable an active employees to save money on eligible medical and dependent care costs by paying these expenses with money deducted from his salary before taxes through a Medical Spending Account; a limited-use Medical Spending Account, which can accompany a Health Savings Account; and a Dependent Care Spending Account.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- South Carolina Employee Job Opportunities
- See sample transparency legislation at the Sunshine Standard
- State Budget Solutions, South Carolina
[edit] References
- ↑ The Council of States Governments The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11
- ↑ ‘‘The Council of State Governments,’’ “The Book of the States: 2008”
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Conference of State Legislators 2010 Legislator Compensation Data
- ↑ The Nerve, Pay Cuts Proposed for S.C. Legislators, Agency Heads, Feb. 7, 2011
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Salary Resource Center" as of Jan. 1, 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 2008 South Carolina Public Employment U.S. Census Data
- ↑ The South Carolina Budget and Control Board "Query State Salaries Over $50,000" Last checked March 1, 2011
- ↑ The State "S.C. official’s salary soars to $485,000" Sept. 1, 2011
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Leave Package
- ↑ Active employees
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 General Information on Insurance Benefits
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Insurance Rates
- ↑ WSPA.com "SC Budget Board Raises State Health Care Premiums" Aug. 9, 2011
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Employee Benefits Brochure
- ↑ SCRS Active Members
- ↑ Select Your Retirement Plan Publication 2009
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