SOC 49-9043 · Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro

Maintenance Workers, Machinery Salary in Charleston, SC

The average salary for maintenance workers, machinery in Charleston, South Carolina is $73,180 a year ($35.18 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $75,190: half of the 140 people in this job in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 13% more than the U.S. average for this job ($64,610).

$73,180average per year

$35.18 / hourMedian $75,190Take-home ≈ $57,776

  • $52K10th
  • $67K25th
  • $75KMedian
  • $79K75th
  • $91K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

140people in this job
+13%vs U.S. average
#1 of 5South Carolina metros
101cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Maintenance Workers, Machinery pay range in Charleston

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $52,340 a year or less, while the top 10% make $91,300 or more. The middle half of maintenance workers, machinery in Charleston earn between $66,790 and $79,060.

  • $52K10th
  • $67K25th
  • $75KMedian
  • $79K75th
  • $91K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$73,180$6,098$35.18
Median$75,190$6,266$36.15
Entry level (25th percentile)$66,790$5,566$32.11
Experienced (75th percentile)$79,060$6,588$38.01

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Maintenance Workers, Machinery pay in Charleston vs. South Carolina and the U.S.

Maintenance workers, machinery in Charleston earn 14% more than the South Carolina average ($64,340) and 13% more than the U.S. average ($64,610). At the median the gap is +24% against the U.S. median of $60,850.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Charleston$73,180$75,190$52,340$91,300140
South Carolina$64,340$64,910$46,760$79,060960
United States$64,610$60,850$42,000$88,55060,020

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Maintenance Workers, Machinery salary after taxes in Charleston

On the average salary of $73,180, a single filer in Charleston takes home about $57,776 a year, or $4,815 a month and $2,222 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).

South Carolina paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Charleston a good place for maintenance workers, machinery? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Charleston area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 101.0), so the average $73,180 buys what about $72,483 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.5 times the median wage of all jobs in Charleston ($49,150). A typical home costs $435,877, or 6.0 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $73,180 is worth in another city

Maintenance Workers, Machinery salary in other South Carolina cities

Charleston ranks 1st of 5 South Carolina metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Maintenance Workers, Machinery salaries in South Carolina

Highest-paying cities for maintenance workers, machinery

Louisville, KY pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($111,740).

Maintenance Workers, Machinery salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Maintenance Workers, Machinery in Charleston, SC.

Maintenance Workers, Machinery salary in Charleston: questions

How much do maintenance workers, machinery make an hour in Charleston?

$35.18 an hour on average, and $36.15 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level maintenance workers, machinery salary in Charleston?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $52,340 a year and the 25th percentile is $66,790, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the maintenance workers, machinery take-home pay in Charleston?

About $57,776 a year ($4,815 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $73,180.

Do maintenance workers, machinery earn more in Charleston than elsewhere?

The average here is 13% more than the U.S. average for this job ($64,610).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 49-9043; area Charleston-North Charleston, SC (16700). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.95, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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