Food Preparation Workers in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$27,695
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$4,485
13.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$29,723
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
$32,180
Kept after tax
$27,695
Worth in national money
$29,723
State rank
33
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Carolina sits in the middle of the pack for food preparation workers. The median is $32,180, ranking 33 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in South Carolina, this one sits low: 456 of 492 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- South Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $32,180 the take-home is $27,695; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $29,723 would nationally. The average comes to $32,300, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- South Carolina occupies the middle band for food preparation workers: a median of $32,180, ranking 33 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Food preparation workers occupies position 456 of 492 in South Carolina's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Post-tax income for food preparation workers in South Carolina, on $32,180, is $27,695 — equivalent to $29,723 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 $32,300 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Food Preparation Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $22,990 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $32,180 |
| Top tenth earn over | $40,370 |
| This salary | $32,180 |
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 | $27,695 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $28,037 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$871 |
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 | $31,755 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,053 |
| 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 food preparation workers in South Carolina earn under $32,180 and half over. The published range runs $22,990 at the tenth percentile to $40,370 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $27,695 take-home in South Carolina comes from $32,180. 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 456 of 492.
- One number stands for prices across all of South Carolina, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $29,723, the adjusted value of that $32,180 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 456 of 492 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for food preparation workers in South Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $22,990 to $40,370; 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 $27,695, from $32,180, 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 456 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 33 of 51 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Carolina, so $29,723 — the adjusted value of that $32,180 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 456 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $22,990 and the top tenth $40,370, so most people doing this work in South Carolina sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in South Carolina sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $29,723 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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, $27,695 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($22,990 to $40,370) 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 $29,723 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 $27,695 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.