Market research analysts and marketing specialists job market in South Carolina
Industry trends, wages and hiring signals.
The headline
South Carolina industry employment changed 1.3 percentage points above the U.S. benchmark
A data-driven view of the industries that employ Market research analysts and marketing specialists in South Carolina.
Occupation pay
What Market research analysts and marketing specialists earn in South Carolina
BLS OEWS occupation-level pay estimates for this role — separate from the industry wage trends used elsewhere in this report.
Median annual wage
$69,440South Carolina- Middle 50% of published wages
- $51,410 – $100,020
- U.S. median annual wage
- $78,760
- Reference period
- May 2025
The middle 50% is the 25th-to-75th percentile wage range, not an experience-level band. Suppressed or unavailable BLS values remain unpublished rather than being estimated.
Pay around South Carolina
How median pay varies by metro area
Published BLS OEWS metro estimates for Market research analysts and marketing specialists, compared with the South Carolina median of $69,440.
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC$82,930+19.4% vs. state
Spartanburg, SC$74,510+7.3% vs. state
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC$71,910+3.6% vs. state
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC$71,330+2.7% vs. state
Columbia, SC$68,600−1.2% vs. state
Charleston-North Charleston, SC$65,650−5.5% vs. state
View 4 more published metro areas
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC$60,920−12.3% vs. state
Florence, SC$59,280−14.6% vs. state
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC$57,840−16.7% vs. state
Sumter, SC$54,980−20.8% vs. state
Areas are ordered by published median wage for readability, not as an overall job-market ranking. The vertical marker is the South Carolina median. Some BLS metropolitan areas cross state lines, so a metro estimate can cover workers in more than one state.
Verified snapshot
Market at a Glance
Key changes in South Carolina’s weighted industry mix.
Percentage-point gaps use the original published values and are rounded once; subtracting the rounded percentages can give a slightly different result.
Published coverage: 133,013 represented establishments, 83.48% of the published industry mix.
Local research
What the data shows for market research analysts and marketing specialists in South Carolina
Findings describe the published observation periods shown below. Research published Oct 11, 2026.
Published median pay is below the U.S. median
Median annual pay in South Carolina stands 11.8% below the U.S. estimate for market research analysts and marketing specialists. The underlying OEWS May 2025 figures are $69,440 for the state and $78,760 nationally. This is a nominal wage comparison; living costs and individual pay differences are outside its scope.
OEWS May 2025 · BLS OEWSPay differs widely between metro areas
Sumter, SC and Spartanburg, SC define the low and high ends of this published median-pay comparison for South Carolina. Their estimates are $54,980 and $74,510, respectively, in OEWS May 2025; the high end is 35.5% higher. The comparison includes 8 metro areas on the same wage basis and does not measure living costs or job availability.
OEWS May 2025 · BLS OEWSMetro estimates may include areas in neighboring states. The comparison covers published metro estimates, not every part of the state.
Employment and establishment counts moved apart
In the industries that employ this occupation, South Carolina's establishment count changed -3.8% year over year in January to March 2026, while employment changed +1.2%. The measures therefore point in opposite directions. These observations do not establish an explanation for that difference.
January to March 2026 · BLS QCEWIndustry measures describe the industries associated with this occupation. They are not direct occupation employment, current openings or a state-level Job Market Health score. Findings describe published data and do not establish causes. Methodology
Employment trends
South Carolina industry employment over time
Year-over-year change in the weighted industries. The U.S. line is the latest-quarter benchmark because a comparable national quarterly history is not published here.
- South Carolina · 2026 Q1+1.2%
- U.S. · latest-quarter benchmark-0.1%
The chart will load automatically. Published values remain available in this report.
View every published value
| Quarter | South Carolina | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 | +1.3% | 100% |
| 2024 Q3 | +1.0% | 100% |
| 2024 Q4 | +0.7% | 100% |
| 2025 Q1 | +1.6% | 100% |
| 2025 Q2 | +1.9% | 88.85% |
| 2025 Q3 | +1.4% | 100% |
| 2025 Q4 | +1.6% | 100% |
| 2026 Q1 | +1.2% | 100% |
How to read this chart
State trend and national reference
The solid line follows South Carolina’s published year-over-year industry employment changes by quarter. The dashed U.S. line is a latest-quarter reference, not a second time series.
- Published quarters
- 8
- Earliest quarter
- 2024 Q2
- Latest quarter
- 2026 Q1
- U.S. benchmark
- -0.1%
Quarters with no published value are omitted rather than interpolated.
Industry context
Where Market research analysts and marketing specialists Work
The occupation mix determines which South Carolina industries are weighted into this view.
| Industry group | Occupation mix | Employment change | Establishments | Avg. weekly industry wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional and business services | 39.7% | +0.4% | 47,623 | $1,591 |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 13.7% | +0.6% | 36,443 | $1,128 |
| Financial activities | 12.4% | +2.1% | 20,616 | $2,195 |
| Information | 9.0% | +0.9% | 5,663 | $2,423 |
| Private education and health services | 8.5% | +5.1% | 22,668 | $1,186 |
| Manufacturing | 5.8% | +0.4% | 9,723 | $1,615 |
Which industries are growing?
4 weighted industries are growing
Only weighted industries with a published positive South Carolina employment change are listed.
- Private education and health services+5.1%
- Financial activities+2.1%
- Information+0.9%
- Trade, transportation, and utilities+0.6%
The remaining weighted industries published a flat or negative change in January to March 2026.
Selected state comparison
South Carolina vs. other states
A selected set of other states with valid reports for this occupation, not every available state. Each state’s own published industry employment change for QCEW 2026 Q1, ordered with this report first and then alphabetically. This is not a ranking and there is no state-level score.
How to read this
Same occupation, same release
Every state shown published its own verified QCEW 2026 Q1 figure for the industries weighted to Market research analysts and marketing specialists. Bars are proportional to each published change; left of centre is a decline.
Current South Carolina context
Current South Carolina Market Signals
Statewide indicators for all occupations in South Carolina. They are not Market research analysts and marketing specialists demand and are not part of the Job Market Health score.
Statewide job postings
Indeed job postings · South Carolina
Recent hiring-demand context · separate from the health score
Total postings index (seasonally adjusted) by observation date · baseline 100
The chart will load automatically. Published values remain available in this report.
View values: Indeed postings index
| Observation date | Index (Feb 2020 = 100) |
|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2026 | 121.18 |
| Jul 31, 2026 | 121.44 |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 120.57 |
| Aug 14, 2026 | 119.88 |
| Aug 21, 2026 | 120.13 |
| Aug 28, 2026 | 121.43 |
| Sep 4, 2026 | 122.01 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 123.41 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 123.65 |
| Sep 25, 2026 | 123.83 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | 124.13 |
| Oct 9, 2026 | 124.54 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 122.70 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 123.44 |
This is statewide demand across all occupations, not demand for this specific job. Postings are not a count of vacancies or hires, and Indeed does not cover the entire labor market.
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab · CC BY 4.0. Seven-day average, seasonally adjusted; publisher refreshes weekly and may revise history. Retrieved Nov 1, 2026 · saved source copy. JobMarketHealth calculates the displayed changes and samples weekly observations for the chart.
Statewide layoff notices
Statewide layoff-notice filings
South Carolina statewide7 notices in this source
Notice dates from Aug 4, 2026 to Nov 1, 2026 (UTC), a rolling 90-calendar-day period.
What this means: These are statewide totals from notices dated in this period in South Carolina’s official tracking system. Reported positions are the counts published in those notices, not a count of people confirmed to have lost their jobs. No employer is identified.
Notices describe planned workforce changes, not confirmed job losses. Notices may be amended or withdrawn. This statewide context is not occupation-specific and does not affect the Job Market Health score. South Carolina’s state tracking system also records smaller Rapid Response events that fall below federal WARN thresholds, so it is not a list of federal WARN filings only.
South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce About WARN data
Source last checked
Career context
Related occupations
Related roles from the occupation’s published O*NET profile.
Questions answered by this release
Market research analysts and marketing specialists in South Carolina FAQs
Each answer is limited to what QCEW 2026 Q1 actually publishes for this state.
Is employment growing for Market research analysts and marketing specialists in South Carolina?
The available QCEW measure is not direct occupation employment. Employment across the South Carolina industries weighted to Market research analysts and marketing specialists changed +1.2% year over year in January to March 2026, compared with -0.1% nationwide.
Are wages for Market research analysts and marketing specialists rising in South Carolina?
QCEW does not publish pay for Market research analysts and marketing specialists in this view. Average weekly wages across the weighted industries changed +4.1% year over year; that must not be read as an occupation salary change.
How complete is this South Carolina industry view?
The three core state trends each meet the site’s coverage floor; the minimum published coverage is 100% of the occupation’s industry mix.
Does this page show current Market research analysts and marketing specialists openings?
No. QCEW measures industry employment, establishments and wages. Any postings, news or WARN figures shown here are statewide context and are not occupation-specific openings.
Methodology & sourcesQCEW 2026 Q1 · coverage 100% · full evidence record
Methodology & Sources
Derived by JobMarketHealth from BLS QCEW + published occupation industry mix. This is occupation-weighted industry context, not direct occupation employment and not a count of current job openings.
- Occupation
- Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- SOC code
- 13-1161
- State
- South Carolina
- QCEW release label
- QCEW 2026 Q1
- Data period
- 2026 Q1
- State industry employment, year over year
- +1.2%State data coverage 100%
- U.S. benchmark, year over year
- -0.1%
- Difference from U.S. benchmark
- +1.3 percentage pointsPercentage-point gaps use the original published values and are rounded once; subtracting the rounded percentages can give a slightly different result.
- Establishments, year over year
- -3.8%State data coverage 100%
- Average weekly industry wage, year over year
- +4.1%State data coverage 100%
- Industry mix vintage
- EP-2025-2035
- BLS publication date
- Aug 28, 2026
- Source verification
- Verified against the committed source snapshotVerified Sep 17, 2026
- Canonical record URL
- https://jobmarkethealth.com/occupations/market-research-analysts-and-marketing-specialists/south-carolina#evidence-record
- Derived by
- JobMarketHealth from BLS QCEW + published occupation industry mix
MethodologyBLS QCEWHow to citeQCEW state context release, 2026 Q1
Weighted industry conditions are not direct occupation employment, occupation wages, current openings or a state-level Job Market Health score. No causal explanation is inferred.