Police officer · Charleston, SC
Police officer in Charleston: $529/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median police officer wage in Charleston at $60,570 a year. About 2,320 police officer jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.37). The 10th percentile is $49,300 and the 90th is $75,920. Pay ranks 273rd-highest of 380 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.2× 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 $529 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Jacksonville, about 218 miles away, at $2,124 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$529
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$60,570
$49,300 to $75,920
Rent (1 bd)
$1,588
$1,890 (2 bd)
Employment
2,320
Location quotient 1.37
Pay rank
273rd of 380
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
3.2×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, police officer pay of $60,570.
- Taxes$1,003
- Rent$1,588
- Other living costs$1,927
- Left over$529
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $60,570
- Federal income tax
- −$5,230
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$4,634
- State income tax (SC)
- −$2,173
- Take-home pay
- $48,534
- Effective tax rate
- 19.9%
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
$5,048 gross, minus $1,003 in tax and $3,515 in living costs.
$529
Rank every metro for a police officer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Jacksonville, $2,124/mo.
Police officer leftover by city →Best cities for police officers to move to →Police officer nearby
Other jobs in Charleston
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a police officer make in Charleston?
$60,570 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 2,320 police officer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a police officer in Charleston?
$529 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 3.2× a year of it.
Where nearby would a police officer keep more?
Jacksonville, about 218 miles away, leaves $2,124 a month, more than Charleston.