- The middle half earn between $21.79 and $31.42 an hour.
- South Carolina ranks 24th of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- South Carolina pays more than both neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 870 crime scene cleaners on payrolls in South Carolina.
- At the state median wage, a biohazard cleaning business needs to bill about $112.10 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Crime Scene Cleaner pay in South Carolina, bottom to top
BLS has no figure for crime scene cleaners. These are its numbers for hazardous materials removal workers, the closest group, which includes decontamination workers along with asbestos and lead abatement crews. Treat them as a rough guide, not a measure of crime scene work itself.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.19 | $37,840 | $18.49 |
| 25th percentile | $21.79 | $45,320 | $21.50 |
| Median | $23.64 | $49,170 | $23.78 |
| 75th percentile | $31.42 | $65,360 | $29.58 |
| 90th percentile | $49.41 | $102,770 | $39.62 |
| Average (mean) | $28.57 | $59,420 | $27.13 |
Pay spreads out a lot in South Carolina. The bottom tenth earn $18.19 an hour or less while the top tenth earn $49.41 or more, a gap of 2.7 times against 2.1 nationally. Where a crime scene cleaner sits on that range matters as much as the state.
The bottom of the scale is lower than nationally ($18.19 against $18.49) while the top is higher ($49.41 against $39.62), so the climb from new hire to top earner is longer here.
The average wage, $28.57, sits 21% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical crime scene cleaner makes.
How South Carolina compares with other states
Over a full year the gap to the national median is small: $49,170 in South Carolina against $49,450 nationally, $280 less.
In the state ranking, South Carolina sits 24th, between Utah ($23.67) and Georgia ($23.54). The range runs from $17.61 in Arkansas to $35.14 in New York.
South Carolina pays crime scene cleaners 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 | $23.64 | $49,170 | |
| Georgia | $23.54 | $48,960 | −$0.10 an hour |
| North Carolina | $20.76 | $43,180 | −$2.88 an hour |
How many crime scene cleaners work in South Carolina
About 870 crime scene cleaners work on payrolls in South Carolina, 1.7% of the 51,710 nationwide, the 17th largest count among the states.
That is 0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in South Carolina, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a biohazard cleaning business in South Carolina should charge
Say you run a biohazard cleaning business in South Carolina and pay the state median of $23.64 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 | $23.64 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $52,933 |
| Break-even rate | ($52,933 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $95.29 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $95.29 ÷ 0.85 | $112.10 |
That is $112.10 per billable hour, 4.7 times the wage, and almost the same as the $112.35 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $31.42 in South Carolina, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $125.77.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $21.79, the rate only drops to $108.86.
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.
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 47-4041, hazardous materials removal workers, 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: crime scene cleaner salary by state.