Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,488
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$7,622
16.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$41,306
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
$46,110
Kept after tax
$38,488
Worth in national money
$41,306
State rank
29
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. South Carolina is 29 of 48 states for this job, with a middle wage of $46,110. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 327 among 492 occupations South Carolina publishes pay for.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $46,110 you keep $38,488 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $41,306 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $46,590, since top earners drag the number up.
- South Carolina ranks 29 of 48 for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic at $46,110. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Position 327 of 492 in South Carolina places molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Retained pay in South Carolina is $38,488 after the full tax stack, from $46,110. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $41,306 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $46,590 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,010 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,110 |
| Top tenth earn over | $63,590 |
| This salary | $46,110 |
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 | $38,488 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,229 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$937 |
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 | $45,187 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,133 |
| 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 $46,110. The published range is $36,010 up to $63,590, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $38,488 take-home in South Carolina comes from $46,110. 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 327 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 $41,306, the adjusted value of that $46,110 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 327 of 492 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic in South Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $36,010 to $63,590. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $38,488, from $46,110, 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 327 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 29 of 48 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Carolina, so $41,306 — the adjusted value of that $46,110 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 327 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $36,010 at the tenth percentile, $63,590 at the ninetieth.
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 $41,306 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, $38,488 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 48 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,010 to $63,590) 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 $41,306 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 $38,488 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.