Engineers, All Other in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$81,769
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$28,721
26.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$87,757
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
$110,490
Kept after tax
$81,769
Worth in national money
$87,757
State rank
33
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. South Carolina is 33 of 51 states for engineers, all other, with a middle wage of $110,490. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 492 occupations South Carolina reports, engineers, all other comes in at 32 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- South Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $110,490 the take-home is $81,769; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $87,757 would nationally. The average comes to $119,130, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- South Carolina ranks 33 of 51 for engineers, all other at $110,490. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Engineers, all other ranks 32 of 492 occupations by median in South Carolina, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Post-tax income for engineers, all other in South Carolina, on $110,490, is $81,769 — equivalent to $87,757 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $119,130 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Engineers, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $65,240 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $110,490 |
| Top tenth earn over | $180,960 |
| This salary | $110,490 |
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 | $81,769 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $86,560 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,319 |
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 | $103,680 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,822 |
| 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 engineers, all other in South Carolina earn under $110,490 and half over. The published range runs $65,240 at the tenth percentile to $180,960 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $81,769 take-home in South Carolina comes from $110,490. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 32 of 492.
- Two cautions on $87,757, the adjusted value of that $110,490 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of South Carolina. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 32 of 492 locally.
- Figures are distribution medians for engineers, all other in South Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $65,240 to $180,960; 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.
- Retained pay of $81,769, from $110,490, assumes a single South Carolina filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 32 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 33 of 51 for it.
- This $87,757 adjusted figure, worked from $110,490, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 32 of 492 in the state. The occupation ranks 32 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $119,130, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $65,240 at the bottom tenth to $180,960 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $87,757.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; South Carolina then takes its own share, leaving $81,769.
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.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in South Carolina is $119,130. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($65,240) and the ninetieth ($180,960) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $87,757 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 $81,769 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.