Why is the BEA RPP for South Carolina different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. South Carolina's overall index of 93.5 reflects rents 80.5, services 85.8, and goods 95.9.

Where does South Carolina rank for Firefighter pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, South Carolina ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in South Carolina?

P10 to P90 spans $29,220 to $64,010. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

What are the limits of these Firefighter salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for South Carolina?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within South Carolina.

How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in South Carolina?

Most career firefighters in South Carolina work a 24-hours-on, 48-hours-off rotation totaling roughly 56 hours per week — substantially more than the 40-hour assumption underlying many salary comparisons. BLS OEWS reports annual W-2 wages, which include the structurally elevated base from the longer schedule plus FLSA-mandated overtime above 53 hours/week. The headline number understates intensity: per-shift effective compensation looks high; per-hour-of-life-spent-at-the-station it's closer to a typical municipal worker's rate.

Paramedic dual-certification premium for South Carolina firefighters?

Most South Carolina fire departments respond to far more EMS calls than fire calls — roughly 70-80% medical response is typical. Departments add a paramedic-cert premium of 5-15% above firefighter base, reflecting the labor-market scarcity of cross-trained personnel. BLS aggregates all firefighters under SOC 33-2011 regardless of EMT/paramedic status; the actual South Carolina median for paramedic-certified firefighters runs above the BLS figure shown on this page, while EMT-only firefighters cluster at or below it.

How Much Do Firefighters Make in South Carolina? $46K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

South Carolina pays Firefighters a BLS median of $45,960 — the more useful number is $49,167, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Firefighter ranking: #41 on the BLS table, #37 once cost of living is in.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $3,207.
Wage envelope: $29,220 (P10) to $64,010 (P90), with quartiles at $35,480 and $51,430.

Wage breakdown — South Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$29,220	$31,259
P25 (lower quartile)	$35,480	$37,956
P50 (median)	$45,960	$49,167
P75 (upper quartile)	$51,430	$55,019
P90 (top tier)	$64,010	$68,477
Mean	$45,730	$48,921
Employment	7,570 Firefighters in South Carolina

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	South Carolina index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.5
Goods	95.9
Services	85.8
Rents	80.5

South Carolina sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.5), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 80.5.

After-tax take-home — South Carolina (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$45,960	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,377	7.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,286	0–6.2% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,516	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$37,781	82.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$40,417	÷ (93.5 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the South Carolina state-tax burden means for Firefighter take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $37,781 (82.2% of gross). After the 93.5 RPP, real take-home is $40,417.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $59,530 for Firefighters with mean pay of $63,890 and total employment of 332,240. South Carolina sits at #41 on nominal pay and #37 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Carolina climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the BEA RPP for South Carolina different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. South Carolina's overall index of 93.5 reflects rents 80.5, services 85.8, and goods 95.9.
Where does South Carolina rank for Firefighter pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, South Carolina ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in South Carolina?: P10 to P90 spans $29,220 to $64,010. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
What are the limits of these Firefighter salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for South Carolina?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within South Carolina.
How does the 24/48 shift schedule distort BLS firefighter pay in South Carolina?: Most career firefighters in South Carolina work a 24-hours-on, 48-hours-off rotation totaling roughly 56 hours per week — substantially more than the 40-hour assumption underlying many salary comparisons. BLS OEWS reports annual W-2 wages, which include the structurally elevated base from the longer schedule plus FLSA-mandated overtime above 53 hours/week. The headline number understates intensity: per-shift effective compensation looks high; per-hour-of-life-spent-at-the-station it's closer to a typical municipal worker's rate.
Paramedic dual-certification premium for South Carolina firefighters?: Most South Carolina fire departments respond to far more EMS calls than fire calls — roughly 70-80% medical response is typical. Departments add a paramedic-cert premium of 5-15% above firefighter base, reflecting the labor-market scarcity of cross-trained personnel. BLS aggregates all firefighters under SOC 33-2011 regardless of EMT/paramedic status; the actual South Carolina median for paramedic-certified firefighters runs above the BLS figure shown on this page, while EMT-only firefighters cluster at or below it.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how South Carolina Firefighter pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.