Every year, the Municipal Association of SC compiles information from cities and towns to create a report of wages paid to municipal employees and elected officials across the state. The data available in this compensation survey is at its most value when as many municipalities as possible contribute to it, and the next survey collection period is coming up in January.
Because municipal governments must compete for job candidates with the private sector as well as state- and county-level agencies, they often aim to provide competitive pay as a way to attract and retain employees. Current data on salary ranges can help them make sure that they are setting their pay at levels that will attract valuable candidates.
The Association makes the data from its compensation survey available online. Cities and towns can use this online tool to make sure that their compensation scales are on par with other municipalities with comparable populations and budgets. The report is helpful when looking at one-off comparisons or between formal salary studies, but it does not provide all the data of a full class and compensation study.
Participating in the survey is optional, but the Association encourages all municipalities to complete it every year to maximize its usefulness. The 2026 survey will be available for data entry from January 2 to February 27.
For questions, contact Lea Ann Mitchell at lmitchell@masc.sc or 803.933.1254.