Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,063
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$7,827
16.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$41,924
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
$46,890
Kept after tax
$39,063
Worth in national money
$41,924
State rank
40
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 $46,890. That is 40 of 51 states, and about 3.46% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 492 occupations South Carolina reports figures for, this is number 316.
- South Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $46,890 the take-home is $39,063; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $41,924 would nationally. The average comes to $49,760, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- For inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers, South Carolina sits in the lower band at $46,890, ranking 40 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 3.46%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- In South Carolina's occupational distribution, inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers sits at 316 of 492 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers in South Carolina, on $46,890, is $39,063 — equivalent to $41,924 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 $49,760 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,010 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,890 |
| Top tenth earn over | $70,430 |
| This salary | $46,890 |
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 | $39,063 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,856 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$909 |
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 | $45,903 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,099 |
| 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 $46,890. The published range is $35,010 up to $70,430, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In South Carolina the take-home figure of $39,063, from $46,890, 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 316 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 $41,924, the adjusted value of that $46,890 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 316 of 492 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers in South Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $35,010 to $70,430. 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 $39,063 from $46,890. 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 316 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Carolina, so $41,924 — the adjusted value of that $46,890 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 316 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 $49,760, 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 $35,010 at the bottom tenth to $70,430 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $41,924 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, $39,063 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.
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 $49,760. 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 ($35,010) and the ninetieth ($70,430) 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 $41,924 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 $39,063 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.