South Carolina · BLS May 2025

Childcare Worker Salary in South Carolina

Also called daycare worker, nanny. SOC 39-9011.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 10,660 childcare workers working in South Carolina. Here is what they are paid, what the median leaves after federal, state and FICA tax, and what that is worth against local prices.

Median pay · South Carolina

$29,650A year, or $14.26 an hour.
Take-home a month$2,143After federal, state and FICA tax at 13.3%
Worth at national prices$31,627Prices here sit at 93.7 against 100
Against the nation15.2% belowNational median $34,980
What childcare workers earn in South Carolina, May 2025
PercentileAnnualHourly
10th percentileEntry and lowest-paid$22,020$10.59
25th percentile$25,130$12.08
MedianHalf earn more, half less$29,650$14.26
75th percentile$34,120$16.41
90th percentileMost experienced and senior$37,720$18.14
MeanThe average, pulled up by the top$30,600$14.71
How we got this
  1. Median wage in South CarolinaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of childcare workers earned more than this, half less.$29,650
  2. Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$14.26
  3. Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$2,143 a month at an effective rate of 13.3%.$25,712 a year
  4. Worth at national average pricesPrices in South Carolina sit at 93.7 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$31,627
  5. Against the national medianThe national median is $34,980.15.2% below
  6. Jobs countedA concentration of 1.39 against the nation's 1.00.10,660
What we assumed
  • Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
  • OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
  • Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
  • Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details

Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1

What lands in the bank

A $29,650 salary in South Carolina, for one single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026.

  • Federal income tax. $1,378 a year.
  • State income tax. $292 a year.
  • Social Security and Medicare. $2,268 a year.
  • Left over. $25,712 a year, $2,143 a month, an effective rate of 13.3%.

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What $29,650 is worth in South Carolina

Prices in South Carolina sit at 93.7 against a national average of 100, so $29,650 earned here buys what $31,627 buys at national average prices.

  • Rents. 80.5 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
  • Against local households. The median household in South Carolina takes in $69,324, so this occupation's median is 0.43 times that, on one income.
  • How common the job is here. 39% more concentrated in South Carolina than in the country as a whole.

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Common questions

Childcare Worker pay in South Carolina, answered

How much does a childcare worker make in South Carolina?

The median wage for childcare workers in South Carolina is $29,650 a year, or $14.26 an hour.

Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.

What is the take-home pay for a childcare worker in South Carolina?

On the median wage of $29,650, one filer taking the standard deduction keeps about $25,712 a year, or roughly $2,143 a month.

That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 13.3%.

South Carolina takes $292 of it in state income tax.

Do childcare workers earn more in South Carolina than in the rest of the country?

No. The median in South Carolina is 15.2% below the national median of $34,980.

Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in South Carolina sit at 93.7 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.

Is $29,650 a good salary in South Carolina?

It is 0.43 times the median household income of $69,324. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.

Prices in South Carolina run at 93.7 against a national average of 100, with rents at 80.5, so $29,650 here buys about what $31,627 buys at national average prices.

What do the highest-paid childcare workers earn in South Carolina?

The top tenth earn $37,720 a year or more, against $22,020 at the bottom tenth.

Experience, specialism, employer and the part of South Carolina someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.

How many childcare workers are there in South Carolina?

The survey counted 10,660 of these jobs in South Carolina for May 2025.

That makes the occupation 39% more concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.

Sources

Where this data comes from