Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$45,956
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$10,284
18.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$49,321
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
$56,240
Kept after tax
$45,956
Worth in national money
$49,321
State rank
31
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. South Carolina is 31 of 47 states for this job, with a middle wage of $56,240. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 237 among 492 occupations South Carolina publishes pay for.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $56,240 you keep $45,956 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $49,321 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $55,270.
- South Carolina ranks 31 of 47 for chemical equipment operators and tenders at $56,240. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Position 237 of 492 in South Carolina places chemical equipment operators and tenders 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.
- Retained pay in South Carolina is $45,956 after the full tax stack, from $56,240. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $49,321 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $55,270 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $37,700 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $56,240 |
| Top tenth earn over | $72,590 |
| This salary | $56,240 |
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 | $45,956 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $47,369 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$575 |
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 | $54,482 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$696 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of chemical equipment operators and tenders in South Carolina earn under $56,240 and half over. The published range runs $37,700 at the tenth percentile to $72,590 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind South Carolina's $45,956, worked from $56,240. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 237 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $49,321 uses one figure for the whole of South Carolina. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 237.
- Figures are distribution medians for chemical equipment operators and tenders in South Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $37,700 to $72,590; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The South Carolina take-home of $45,956, on $56,240 for work ranking 237 of 492 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 237 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $49,321, worked from $56,240, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular South Carolina address, on work sitting at 237 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $37,700 at the tenth percentile, $72,590 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $49,321.
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, $45,956 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 47 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($37,700 to $72,590) 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 $49,321 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 $45,956 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 47 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.