Painters, Construction and Maintenance in South Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$34,476
after federal, FICA and South Carolina tax
Tax takes
$6,364
15.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$37,001
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
$40,840
Kept after tax
$34,476
Worth in national money
$37,001
State rank
50
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Carolina is among the lower-paying states for painters, construction and maintenance. The middle earner takes $40,840, ranking 50 of 51 states — about 17.33% 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: 373 of 492 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $40,840 you keep $34,476 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $37,001 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $42,050, since top earners drag the number up.
- South Carolina ranks 50 of 51 for painters, construction and maintenance, with a median of $40,840 — about 17.33% 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.
- Painters, construction and maintenance occupies position 373 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.
- Retained pay in South Carolina is $34,476 after the full tax stack, from $40,840. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $37,001 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $42,050 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Painters, Construction and Maintenance
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $27,240 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $40,840 |
| Top tenth earn over | $57,520 |
| This salary | $40,840 |
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 | $34,476 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $34,995 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$989 |
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 | $40,195 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,196 |
| 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 $40,840. The published range is $27,240 up to $57,520, 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 $34,476, worked from $40,840. 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 373 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $37,001 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 373.
- Reported values are medians; for painters, construction and maintenance in South Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $27,240 to $57,520. 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 $34,476, on $40,840 for work ranking 373 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 373 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $37,001, worked from $40,840, 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 373 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 $27,240 and the top tenth $57,520 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
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 $37,001.
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, $34,476 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.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($27,240) and the ninetieth ($57,520) 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 $37,001 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 $34,476 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.