South Carolina ranked among worst states for worker benefits in 2025, report reveals

Flags up top the SC State House
(Photo: sc.gov)

(WCIV) — South Carolina ranks near the bottom in the United States for employee benefits in 2025 according to a new report that looked at cost-of-living factors and sentiment for workers across the country.

iSelect, an Australian insurance and utilities cost-comparison service, analyzed publicly available data from the National Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Conference of State Legislatures, and more to weigh factors like health plan costs, paid time off (PTO), and average income nationwide to score states individually on job satisfaction. South Carolina’s job satisfaction score was 27.3, placing the Palmetto State 12th from the bottom in the US.

Researchers found South Carolinian workers’ health plan costs make up 14% of the state’s median income, lower than only Texas (14.2), Georgia (14.3), Nevada (14.4), Oklahoma (15), Louisiana (15.6), and Florida (16.4) in the 25 lowest-ranked states. iSelect said the state’s average income was just over $53,000 per year, the 4th-lowest in the country behind Kentucky ($52k/yr.), Alabama ($50k/yr.), and Mississippi ($46k/yr.).

PTO scores were scored out of 10 by considering legal requirements for vacation pay, prohibition of “use-it-of-lose-it” PTO policies, mandatory payment of accrued vacation on separation, and employer penalties for non-payment. South Carolina scored a 1 on the PTO charts, worsened by a handful of states including Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama, which all scored 0.

There were some good indicators for South Carolina in the report, however. iSelect evaluated wage disparity by comparing minimum wage to individual state’s average income, with lower disparities reflecting higher scores and a more equitable wage structure. South Carolina’s wage disparity was graded at 114.94%, indicating relatively fair wages in the state, per the report. Average hours worked was relatively low comparatively at 38.2 per week, indicating better work-life balance per iSelect’s methodology.

The top five best-scoring states in the report included a majority of East Coast states like Rhode Island, Maryland, and Massachusetts, who all had high job satisfaction ratings and lower health plan costs, but more wage disparity.