- The middle half earn between $23.03 and $31.82 an hour.
- South Carolina is 44th of the 50 states and DC, in the bottom ten for this trade.
- South Carolina pays more than both neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 8,010 electricians on payrolls in South Carolina.
- At the state median wage, an electrical contracting business needs to bill about $120.18 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Electrician pay in South Carolina, bottom to top
The BLS group covers electricians who install and repair wiring in homes, businesses and plants. Line workers on power lines are counted separately and are not included.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.31 | $44,330 | $20.50 |
| 25th percentile | $23.03 | $47,910 | $23.76 |
| Median | $28.24 | $58,740 | $30.38 |
| 75th percentile | $31.82 | $66,190 | $40.36 |
| 90th percentile | $37.41 | $77,800 | $52.17 |
| Average (mean) | $28.38 | $59,030 | $34.37 |
Pay is bunched up in South Carolina. The top tenth earn $37.41 an hour or more, about 1.8 times the $21.31 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.5 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
The floor is higher than nationally ($21.31 against $20.50) but the ceiling is lower ($37.41 against $52.17), which squeezes pay toward the middle.
The average, $28.38, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How South Carolina compares with other states
Over a full year, the South Carolina median of $58,740 is $4,450 less than the national $63,190.
In the state ranking, South Carolina sits 44th, between Kentucky ($28.71) and Texas ($28.16). The range runs from $23.59 in Arkansas to $48.71 in Oregon.
South Carolina pays electricians 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.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $28.24 | $58,740 | |
| Georgia | $28.04 | $58,320 | −$0.20 an hour |
| North Carolina | $27.31 | $56,800 | −$0.93 an hour |
How many electricians work in South Carolina
About 8,010 electricians work on payrolls in South Carolina, 1.1% of the 757,220 nationwide, the 31st largest count among the states.
It is a smaller part of local jobs than in most of the country, at 3.5 per 1,000 jobs, 0.71 times the national share.
What an electrical contracting business in South Carolina should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is an electrical contracting business in South Carolina paying the state median of $28.24, on the labor rate calculator's 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 | $28.24 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $63,233 |
| Break-even rate | ($63,233 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $102.16 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $102.16 ÷ 0.85 | $120.18 |
That is $120.18 per billable hour, 4.3 times the wage, and $3.76 less than the $123.94 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $31.82 in South Carolina, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $126.47.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $23.03, the rate only drops to $111.03.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the electrician labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as an electrician in South Carolina
- Licensing. What South Carolina asks for before you can work on your own: Electrical license in South Carolina.
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how electrical contractors 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 47-2111, electricians, 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: electrician salary by state.