Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,233
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$11,097
18.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,765
South Carolina costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in South Carolina — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$59,330
Kept after tax
$48,233
Worth in national money
$51,765
State rank
37
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is on the low side in South Carolina. The middle earner gets $59,330. That is 37 of 51 states, and about 3.95% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 211 among 492 occupations South Carolina publishes pay for.
- Here is where South Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $59,330 you keep $48,233, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $51,765 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $59,050, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- For bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, South Carolina sits in the lower band at $59,330, ranking 37 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 3.95%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Position 211 of 492 in South Carolina places bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and South Carolina income tax, retained pay for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists on $59,330 is $48,233. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $51,765 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $59,050 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $41,440 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $59,330 |
| Top tenth earn over | $76,670 |
| This salary | $59,330 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in South Carolina | $48,233 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $49,852 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$465 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $57,316 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$562 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in South Carolina earn less than $59,330. The published range is $41,440 up to $76,670, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In South Carolina the take-home figure of $48,233, from $59,330, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 211 of 492 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of South Carolina, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $51,765, the adjusted value of that $59,330 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 211 of 492 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists in South Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $41,440 to $76,670. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for South Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $48,233 from $59,330. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 211 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Carolina, so $51,765 — the adjusted value of that $59,330 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 211 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $41,440 at the bottom tenth to $76,670 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. South Carolina is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $51,765 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and South Carolina's own levy, $48,233 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($41,440 to $76,670) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to South Carolina rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
South Carolina's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $51,765 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $48,233 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and South Carolina income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.