- The middle half earn between $13.20 and $17.80 an hour.
- South Carolina ranks 38th of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- South Carolina pays more than both neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 5,720 auto detailers on payrolls in South Carolina.
- At the state median wage, a detailing business needs to bill about $99.49 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Auto Detailer pay in South Carolina, bottom to top
BLS has no separate figure for auto detailers. These are its numbers for cleaners of vehicles and equipment, the group that holds auto detailers along with car wash attendants and equipment cleaners.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $11.03 | $22,930 | $13.17 |
| 25th percentile | $13.20 | $27,450 | $14.62 |
| Median | $16.46 | $34,230 | $17.23 |
| 75th percentile | $17.80 | $37,030 | $19.73 |
| 90th percentile | $20.66 | $42,970 | $22.89 |
| Average (mean) | $16.00 | $33,290 | $17.78 |
From the bottom tenth ($11.03) to the top tenth ($20.66), the top of the scale pays about 1.9 times the bottom in South Carolina, close to the 1.7 times spread for auto detailers nationwide.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $2.14 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $2.23 less than the national top tenth.
The average wage ($16.00) is a little under the median, so the low end of the range stretches further than the high end in South Carolina.
How South Carolina compares with other states
Over a full year the gap to the national median is small: $34,230 in South Carolina against $35,830 nationally, $1,600 less.
In the state ranking, South Carolina sits 38th, between Virginia ($16.56) and Michigan ($16.29). Nevada has exactly the same median, $16.46, so the two share that place. The range runs from $13.27 in Louisiana to $20.53 in the District of Columbia.
South Carolina pays auto detailers more than any of its neighboring states, Georgia and North Carolina. Someone working near the border can earn more by taking work on this side of it.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $16.46 | $34,230 | |
| Georgia | $14.72 | $30,610 | −$1.74 an hour |
| North Carolina | $16.09 | $33,470 | −$0.37 an hour |
How many auto detailers work in South Carolina
About 5,720 auto detailers work on payrolls in South Carolina, 1.5% of the 380,430 nationwide, the 23rd largest count among the states.
That is 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in South Carolina, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a detailing business in South Carolina should charge
Say you run a detailing business in South Carolina and pay the state median of $16.46 an hour. Here is the labor rate calculator's math on its starting numbers: 40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $16.46 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $36,856 |
| Break-even rate | ($36,856 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $84.57 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $84.57 ÷ 0.85 | $99.49 |
That is $99.49 per billable hour, 6 times the wage, and $1.35 less than the $100.85 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $17.80 in South Carolina, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $101.85.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $13.20, the rate only drops to $93.77.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as an auto detailer in South Carolina
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how detailers run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 53-7061, cleaners of vehicles and equipment, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: auto detailer salary by state.