South Carolina Minimum Wage 2026
The minimum wage in South Carolina is $7.25 per hour in 2026, effective July 24, 2009. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $2.13 per hour, as long as tips bring them to the full minimum.
What is the minimum wage in South Carolina in 2026?
South Carolina has no state minimum wage law at all. The federal minimum of $7.25 per hour, in effect since July 24, 2009, applies to workers in the state through the Fair Labor Standards Act, making $7.25 the operative minimum wage in South Carolina in 2026.
The absence of a state statute matters mostly at the edges: employees who fall outside FLSA coverage have no state wage floor to fall back on. For the vast majority of businesses, though, the practical question is not the legal minimum but the market one, and in tourism-heavy Charleston and Myrtle Beach, hospitality pay competes well above $7.25 for most of the year.
Tipped minimum wage in South Carolina
Because federal law governs, the tipped minimum wage in South Carolina is $2.13 per hour in cash wages, with the full federal tip credit available. Tips must bring each tipped worker to at least $7.25 per hour over the workweek.
Tipped roles dominate South Carolina's coastal economy, so tip credit compliance is a front-line issue for hospitality employers. Seasonal swings in Myrtle Beach mean a server flush with tips in July can fall short in January, and the top-up obligation applies week by week, not on an annual average.
South Carolina minimum wage history: 2020 to 2026
| Year | Minimum wage | Tipped wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2021 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2022 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2023 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2024 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2025 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2026 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
Upcoming minimum wage increases in South Carolina
No increases are on the horizon. Since South Carolina has no minimum wage statute, the only mechanisms for a higher rate are the General Assembly enacting a state law for the first time or Congress raising the federal $7.25 minimum.
Neither path has momentum in Columbia or Washington. State-level minimum wage bills are occasionally filed but rarely receive hearings, so employers can plan around a stable $7.25 legal floor while budgeting for market wages that run higher, especially on the coast.
Minimum wage by city in South Carolina
South Carolina law preempts local minimum wage ordinances, so no city or county can adopt its own rate. Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach all operate under the $7.25 federal minimum.
Local labor markets diverge sharply from that uniform floor. Charleston's restaurant scene and Myrtle Beach's resort corridor bid up hospitality wages during peak season, while Greenville's manufacturing base and Columbia's government and university employers set their own pay benchmarks.
Federal rate; a nationally ranked food-and-tourism market where hospitality pay runs well above the floor
Federal rate; state government and university hiring anchor the capital's wages
Federal rate; advanced manufacturing growth lifts hourly pay in the Upstate
Federal rate; seasonal resort demand creates big summer-to-winter wage swings
What South Carolina employers need to know
FLSA coverage
With no state wage law, coverage runs through the federal FLSA: enterprises with $500,000 or more in annual sales, plus employees engaged in interstate commerce. Most South Carolina businesses qualify.
Tipped employees
The federal $2.13 cash wage applies. Confirm every tipped employee reaches $7.25 per hour weekly, and be especially careful during the coastal off-season when tips thin out.
Overtime
Federal overtime rules apply: 1.5x the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. South Carolina adds no state-level daily or weekly overtime requirements.
Posting and records
Post the federal FLSA minimum wage poster and retain payroll and tip records for at least three years. There is no separate South Carolina wage poster to display.
How other states compare
See how South Carolina's $7.25 rate stacks up against other state minimum wages in 2026, or browse the full minimum wage index for all 50 states.
Last verified:
Sources: the US Department of Labor's state minimum wage table and official announcements from the South Carolina labor department. Minimum wage laws change frequently; confirm current rates with those sources or legal counsel before setting pay.
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