Office Machine Operators, Except Computer in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$29,019
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$4,851
14.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$31,144
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
$33,870
Kept after tax
$29,019
Worth in national money
$31,144
State rank
45
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Carolina is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $33,870, ranking 45 of 47 states — about 17.31% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in South Carolina, this one sits low: 449 of 492 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Here is where South Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $33,870 you keep $29,019, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $31,144 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $33,810, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- South Carolina ranks 45 of 47 for office machine operators, except computer, with a median of $33,870 — about 17.31% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Office machine operators, except computer occupies position 449 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.
- After federal, FICA and South Carolina income tax, retained pay for office machine operators, except computer on $33,870 is $29,019. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $31,144 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $33,810 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Office Machine Operators, Except Computer
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $20,010 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $33,870 |
| Top tenth earn over | $45,250 |
| This salary | $33,870 |
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 | $29,019 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $29,395 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$895 |
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 | $33,403 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,082 |
| 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 office machine operators, except computer in South Carolina earn under $33,870 and half over. The published range runs $20,010 at the tenth percentile to $45,250 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind South Carolina's $29,019, worked from $33,870. 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 449 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 $31,144, the adjusted value of that $33,870 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 449 of 492 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for office machine operators, except computer in South Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $20,010 to $45,250; 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.
- The South Carolina take-home of $29,019, on $33,870 for work ranking 449 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 449 of 492 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Carolina, so $31,144 — the adjusted value of that $33,870 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 449 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
Because one job title covers very different work. The bottom tenth here earn $20,010 and the top tenth $45,250 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
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 $31,144 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; South Carolina then takes its own share, leaving $29,019.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 47 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($20,010) and the ninetieth ($45,250) 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 $31,144 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 $29,019 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 47 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.