Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$26,911
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$4,269
13.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$28,882
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
$31,180
Kept after tax
$26,911
Worth in national money
$28,882
State rank
45
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. South Carolina pays this job a middle wage of $31,180, 45 of 51 states and about 15.36% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Against 492 occupations South Carolina publishes, this job lands at 464. That is the lower quarter. That is the comparison people actually feel, more than any national table.
- South Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $31,180 the take-home is $26,911; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $28,882 would nationally. The average comes to $32,720, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- South Carolina's $31,180 median for janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners places it 45 of 51 states, about 15.36% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- Within South Carolina, this work ranks 464 of 492 occupations by median pay, in the bottom quartile. The within-state position is the more salient one for anyone weighing this job against alternatives available to them locally.
- Post-tax income for janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners in South Carolina, on $31,180, is $26,911 — equivalent to $28,882 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 $32,720 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $23,470 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $31,180 |
| Top tenth earn over | $41,700 |
| This salary | $31,180 |
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 | $26,911 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $27,233 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$857 |
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 | $30,779 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,036 |
| 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 janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners in South Carolina earn under $31,180 and half over. The published range runs $23,470 at the tenth percentile to $41,700 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In South Carolina the take-home figure of $26,911, from $31,180, 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 464 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 $28,882, the adjusted value of that $31,180 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 464 of 492 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners in South Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $23,470 to $41,700; 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.
- Take-home for South Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $26,911 from $31,180. 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 464 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Carolina, so $28,882 — the adjusted value of that $31,180 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 464 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 $32,720, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $23,470 at the bottom tenth to $41,700 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $28,882 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, $26,911 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 $32,720. 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 is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($23,470 to $41,700) 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 $28,882 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 $26,911 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.