Comparator Pool
South Carolina comparator pool — 12 peer counties
The RFP §SCOPE item E directs salary surveys for similar positions within the State of South Carolina. Our pool layers three rings: Piedmont neighbors (Laurens, Abbeville, Newberry, Edgefield, Saluda), Upstate size peers (Oconee, Cherokee, Lancaster), and regional anchors (Anderson, Spartanburg, Aiken). Each row in the chart below is keyed to that comparator's adopted FY 2024-25 / 2025-26 salary schedule, with Greenwood = 100.
Comparator counties
12
Population range
18.7K – 327K
FTE range
165 – 2,050
Show base-salary index for:
| County | Region / role | Population | Approx FTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Keene (self) | NH · Self (Cheshire County) | 23,047 | ~223 |
| City of Portsmouth | NH · Coastal size peer (Rockingham) | 21,956 | ~350 |
| City of Lebanon | NH · Upper Valley peer (Grafton) | 14,282 | ~220 |
| City of Claremont | NH · CT River peer (Sullivan) | 12,800 | ~180 |
| City of Laconia | NH · Lakes Region peer (Belknap) | 16,871 | ~220 |
| City of Dover | NH · Seacoast (Strafford) | 33,910 | ~400 |
| City of Rochester | NH · Seacoast (Strafford) | 33,530 | ~380 |
| City of Concord | NH · Capital region (Merrimack) | 44,606 | ~500 |
| City of Nashua | NH · Regional anchor (Hillsborough) | 91,322 | ~1,050 |
| City of Manchester | NH · Largest city (Hillsborough) | 115,644 | ~1,200 |
| City of Berlin | NH · North Country (Coos) | 9,425 | ~140 |
| City of Franklin | NH · Central peer (Merrimack) | 8,741 | ~110 |
| Town of Brattleboro | VT · CT River adjacent (Windham) | 12,184 | ~180 |
| City of Rutland | VT · Size peer (Rutland) | 15,807 | ~200 |
| City of Greenfield | MA · Pioneer Valley peer (Franklin) | 17,768 | ~220 |
| City of Northampton | MA · Pioneer Valley peer (Hampshire) | 29,571 | ~370 |
| City of Bangor | ME · Regional anchor (Penobscot) | 31,753 | ~420 |
| City of Auburn | ME · Size peer (Androscoggin) | 24,061 | ~300 |
Three-ring methodology
A defensible SC-county comparator pool needs more than the five adjacent counties — those alone underweight what the broader Upstate market is actually paying. We layer Piedmont neighbors (5), size peers (3), and regional anchors (3) so internal equity gets its primary anchor from immediate neighbors and external competitiveness gets its anchor from the bigger Upstate / Midlands labor market that Greenwood actually competes with for talent.
Authoritative sources, not vendor surveys
Every dollar in the comparator database comes from each county's adopted Salary Schedule (public record) or its FY 2024-25 / 2025-26 Personnel Schedule attached to the Adopted Budget. We cross-reference SC Association of Counties (SCAC) 2024 Salary Survey for statewide percentile context. We do not buy proprietary survey data — every figure is sourced and reproducible by the County's HR Director after the engagement.
Index figures illustrative pending production salary-schedule pull. Final values reconciled against each comparator's most recent adopted schedule at engagement award.