Machinists in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$47,231
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$10,739
18.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$50,689
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
$57,970
Kept after tax
$47,231
Worth in national money
$50,689
State rank
31
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. South Carolina pays machinists around $57,970 at the midpoint, 31 of 51 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 492 occupations South Carolina reports figures for, this is number 225.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $57,970 you keep $47,231 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $50,689 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $57,030.
- For machinists the South Carolina median is $57,970, ranking 31 of 51 states reporting. Mid-band nominal positions are the ones most frequently reordered by the adjustments, because no large wage premium exists to absorb a state's tax or price level.
- In South Carolina's occupational distribution, machinists sits at 225 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.
- Retained pay in South Carolina is $47,231 after the full tax stack, from $57,970. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $50,689 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $57,030 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Machinists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,270 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $57,970 |
| Top tenth earn over | $75,650 |
| This salary | $57,970 |
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 | $47,231 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $48,759 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$513 |
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 | $56,068 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$620 |
| 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 $57,970. The published range is $38,270 up to $75,650, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind South Carolina's $47,231, worked from $57,970. 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 225 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $50,689 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 225.
- Reported values are medians; for machinists in South Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $38,270 to $75,650. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The South Carolina take-home of $47,231, on $57,970 for work ranking 225 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 225 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $50,689, worked from $57,970, 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 225 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $38,270 at the bottom tenth to $75,650 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $50,689.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and South Carolina adds its own income tax on top — which is why $47,231 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($38,270 to $75,650) 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 $50,689 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 $47,231 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.