Talent Maps / Columbia, SC / Electrical Engineers

Columbia, SC Electrical Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What electrical engineers earn in metro Columbia, which utilities and manufacturers employ them, where in the metro they work, and the power plant, nuclear, grid and fiber projects competing for them.

Hiring electrical engineers in Columbia?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers electrical engineers in the Columbia, SC metro area, which spans Richland, Lexington, Kershaw, Fairfield, Saluda and Calhoun counties. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses utility and project data published from 2025 to 2026. Our electrical engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Columbia civil, mechanical and data center engineer talent maps.

$101,320Median electrical engineer pay in metro ColumbiaBLS, May 2025

$154,870+What the top 10% of Columbia electrical engineers earnBLS, May 2025

2,200 MWCanadys Station gas plant approved for Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper in May 2026Dominion Energy, 2026

23,000New electric customers Dominion Energy South Carolina has added since 2023Dominion Energy, 2026

$80MPrysmian fiber optic cable plant expansion in Lexington, with about 135 new jobsSC Governor, 2026

940,000+Meters served by SC’s 19 electric co-ops, supplied through Columbia-based Central ElectricCentral Electric Power Cooperative

Electrical engineer salaries in Columbia

The median electrical engineer in metro Columbia earns $101,320 a year. That is $2,880 above the South Carolina median of $98,440 and $19,310 below the national median of $120,630. Columbia does better than the state in the upper middle: its 75th percentile of $133,490 is $5,430 above the state’s $128,060, though still $19,460 below the national $152,950. The 90th percentile is $154,870, and the hourly median is $48.71.

Annual pay percentile	Columbia metro	South Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$69,260	$69,260	$76,550
25th percentile	$77,520	$75,540	$92,830
Median	$101,320	$98,440	$120,630
75th percentile	$133,490	$128,060	$152,950
90th percentile	$154,870	$156,330	$184,300

Electrical Engineers (SOC 17-2071). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

Electronics engineers, the related BLS code for circuit and equipment design, earn a median of $88,380 in Columbia. That compares with $113,720 for South Carolina and $130,220 nationally. Pay ranges from $64,460 at the 10th percentile to $143,780 at the 90th.

Greenville’s electrical median is $101,620, only $300 above Columbia’s, but its 90th percentile of $165,270 is $10,400 higher. Charlotte’s median is $103,360, $2,040 above Columbia’s, and its 90th percentile reaches $213,210. All three metros sit well below the national median, so candidates recruited from outside the Carolinas may expect more.

Where Columbia’s electrical engineers work

Electric utilities

Dominion Energy South Carolina has its operational headquarters in Cayce. It has added about 23,000 electric customers and invested $1.4 billion in its electric system since 2023.

NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy agreed in May 2026 to combine, with closing expected in 12 to 18 months. The deal keeps the Cayce headquarters and the Dominion Energy South Carolina name.

Co-ops and transmission

Central Electric Power Cooperative, based in Columbia, is the wholesale generation and transmission co-op for South Carolina’s 19 distribution co-ops. They serve more than 940,000 meters over 79,000 miles of line.

In 2026 Central adopted a new rate for users of 20 megawatts or more, with 15-year minimum contracts.

Manufacturing

Prysmian is expanding its Lexington plant at 700 Industrial Drive to make more flex-ribbon fiber optic cable. The company says it is one of three US makers of fiber and optical cable.

Scout Motors is testing robotics and conveyors at its Blythewood plant. Its trucks will come as battery-electric models or with a gasoline range extender.

Nuclear

Dominion’s VC Summer Unit 1 in Jenkinsville is licensed to run until 2062. Westinghouse employs more than 2,200 people in South Carolina, including at its Columbia fuel plant.

AVANTech is adding 65 jobs at its Columbia nuclear fabrication plant, and The Nuclear Company plans a Columbia engineering office with 100 jobs.

Where the talent sits: Columbia submarkets

Cayce and West Columbia

UtilityTransmission

Dominion Energy South Carolina’s operational headquarters is here, across the Congaree River from downtown.

Lexington

Cable manufacturing

Prysmian broke ground on its $80 million expansion in September 2026, and operations are due online in May 2028.

Fairfield County and Jenkinsville

Nuclear generation

VC Summer Unit 1 operates here, next to the two unfinished AP1000 units Brookfield is studying.

Blythewood

Vehicle electrificationAutomation

Scout’s plant has body shop robotics, paint shop conveyors and an assembly area where frames and bodies are joined.

Downtown Columbia

ColocationBuilding power

DartPoints runs a 2.5 megawatt data center at 1000 Catawba Street. ōLiv Columbia, a 26-story tower, is due in summer 2028.

What’s driving demand for electrical engineers in Columbia

New generation. The Public Service Commission approved the 2,200 megawatt Canadys Station on May 14, 2026. Santee Cooper expects demand on its system to reach 7,246 megawatts by 2040, up 23% from its last estimate.
Peak demand. Santee Cooper had 24 days in summer 2026 that needed 5,000 megawatts or more, up from six the year before.
Nuclear. Santee Cooper is negotiating to sell a 75% stake in VC Summer Units 2 and 3 to Brookfield for $2.7 billion. Each AP1000 unit delivers 1.115 gigawatts.
Large loads. Central’s 2026 rate covers users of 20 megawatts or more. S. 867, the Data Center Development Act, would have the Public Service Commission make data centers pay the full cost of new generation and transmission. It cleared committee in April 2026 and is still in the Senate.
Fiber and data. Prysmian’s expansion supports its $6.29 billion agreement to supply optical cable to Molex for data centers. DartPoints is adding more than 25 megawatts across Greenville and Columbia through early 2027.
Vehicles. Scout says initial production is targeted for 2027. Midlands Technical College built an EV engineering technology degree with Scout.

Electrical specialties tied to these projects

Power system and protection engineers for generation, substations and transmission.
Interconnection and planning engineers for large-load studies under the new co-op and utility rates.
Nuclear electrical and I&C engineers for VC Summer, Westinghouse and AVANTech.
Automation and controls engineers for Scout and Prysmian. See our Columbia controls engineer talent map.
MEP electrical designers for the USC medical school, downtown towers and data center suites.

The talent pipeline

University of South Carolina. USC’s ABET-accredited electrical engineering program enrolled 189 students in fall 2025 and awarded 21 degrees in 2024. Its new Westinghouse partnership plans a nuclear certificate open to electrical students.
Midlands Technical College. MTC offers electrical, electronics and EV engineering technology programs. Large power projects also need electrical engineers; see our US data center map.
Licensing. Senior power and design roles usually require a South Carolina PE license from the SC Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors.

What this means if you’re hiring

Know the national gap. Columbia’s median is $19,310 below the US figure, so candidates recruited from outside the Carolinas may expect more.
Recruit beyond USC. The university awarded 21 electrical degrees in 2024, so the local graduate pool is small.
Price senior roles at the 75th percentile. For licensed PEs, plan on $133,490 or higher.
Use long timelines. Canadys, the VC Summer decision and Prysmian’s 2028 start run for years, so offer long contracts.

Need electrical engineers in Columbia?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place electrical, power, controls and nuclear engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 803.832.4646 or see our Columbia engineering recruiters page.

Hire electrical engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do electrical engineers make in Columbia, SC?

The median electrical engineer salary in metro Columbia is $101,320 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $77,520 and $133,490, and the top 10% earn $154,870 or more.

Do electrical engineers earn more in Columbia or Greenville?

About the same at the median. Greenville’s median is $101,620, $300 above Columbia’s $101,320, but Greenville pays more at the top, $165,270 at the 90th percentile against $154,870. See our Greenville-Spartanburg electrical engineer talent map.

Who hires electrical engineers in Columbia?

Utilities such as Dominion Energy South Carolina and Central Electric Power Cooperative, manufacturers such as Prysmian and Scout Motors, nuclear firms such as Westinghouse and AVANTech, and colocation operators such as DartPoints.

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