Firefighter · Charleston, SC
Firefighter in Charleston: -$320/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Charleston at $46,830 a year. About 1,470 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.67). The 10th percentile is $30,800 and the 90th is $64,120. Pay ranks 233rd-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.5× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,588/mo). South Carolina taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$320 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Jacksonville, about 218 miles away, at $921 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
-$320
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$46,830
$30,800 to $64,120
Rent (1 bd)
$1,588
$1,890 (2 bd)
Employment
1,470
Location quotient 1.67
Pay rank
233rd of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
2.5×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $46,830.
- Taxes$707
- Rent$1,588
- Other living costs$1,927
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $46,830
- Federal income tax
- −$3,581
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$3,582
- State income tax (SC)
- −$1,321
- Take-home pay
- $38,346
- Effective tax rate
- 18.1%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,588
- Groceries
- $384
- Getting around
- $535
- Healthcare
- $432
- Utilities and internet
- $240
- Everything else
- $336
- Total spending
- $3,515
Left over each month
$3,903 gross, minus $707 in tax and $3,515 in living costs.
-$320
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Jacksonville, $921/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Charleston
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a firefighter make in Charleston?
$46,830 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,470 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Charleston?
-$320 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. South Carolina taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,588, and pay covers 2.5× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Jacksonville, about 218 miles away, leaves $921 a month, more than Charleston.