SOC 15-1243

Data Engineer Salary in Charleston-North Charleston, SC (2026)

Data updated · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Tax Tables: 2026 Fed + SC
COL Index: 136.48 (+36.5% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 68.3% Realized
$88,580 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $129,640 $62.33/hr
Effective Tax Drag 25.67% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 24% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$33,281 $1,280.05/check
Category 1 of 6

Wage Benchmarking & After-Tax Paycheck Engine

Dynamic statutory tax calculations based on IRS Publication 15-T and state statutory schedules.

$
2,080 annual statutory base hours $62.33 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$7,778/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,867/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$17,981
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$8,038
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,880
South Carolina Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$5,383
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$88,580 ($3,406.94 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Data Engineer Wage Distribution

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Percentiles & Career Ladders

Your Salary: $129,640
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $85.8k 25th $102k Median: $129,640 50th (Median) $130k 75th $167k 90th $203k You: $129,640
10th (Entry) $85,760 $41.23/hr
25th (Junior) $102,250 $49.16/hr
50th (Median) $129,640 $62.33/hr
75th (Senior) $166,570 $80.08/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $203,090 $97.64/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Data Engineer in Charleston-North Charleston, SC
1
Associate Data EngineerPython, SQL, ETL scripting, data warehouse basics
$82,709$39.76/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Data EngineerSpark, Kafka, dbt, columnar storage optimization, orchestration
$122,670$58.98/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Data EngineerReal-time stream architecture, lakehouse design, data quality frameworks
$156,126$75.06/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff Data ArchitectEnterprise data platform strategy, distributed storage scaling
$190,510$91.59/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Charleston-North Charleston, SC medianView National Data Engineer Salary Data
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Charleston-North Charleston, SC under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
23% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,731/month Requires minimum annual gross of $69,240
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,884/month Requires minimum annual gross of $75,360
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $30.18/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $24.11/hr
Category 4 of 6

Hourly Wage to Annual & Overtime Matrix

Translating base hourly pay and 1.5× overtime into net take-home pay based on 2,080 annual work hours in Charleston-North Charleston, SC.

Swipe horizontally to inspect full pay schedule
Schedule Total Hours/Wk Gross Annual Est. Taxes Net Take-Home Bi-Weekly Check
Standard (40 hrs)40 hrs$129,640-$33,281$88,580$3,406.94
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$153,948-$41,815$102,896$3,957.53
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$178,255-$50,349$117,211$4,508.12
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$202,563-$57,786$132,623$5,100.89
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$226,870-$65,031$148,227$5,701.03
Category 5 of 6

Interstate MSA Relocation & State Tax Migration Comparator

Calculate required compensation, cost-of-living differences, and annual state/local tax savings between two metropolitan areas.

Equivalent Salary in Austin, TX $83,505 Cost of Living Ratio: 69.6%
Annual State & Local Tax Delta +$8,331/yr Tax savings in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Annual Rent Difference (1BR) -$17,676/yr Based on HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Discretionary Cash Flow Impact

Combining state tax savings and annual rent variance when relocating from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

+$26,007/year
Category 6 of 6 · Executive Economic Briefing
2026 Fiscal Intelligence

Data Engineer in Charleston-North Charleston, SC: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

Estimates compiled from BLS OEWS wages, IRS 2026 withholding rules, HUD Fair Market Rents, and South Carolina tax codes.

Market Baseline
$129,640/yr
$62.33/hr · SOC 15-1243
Statutory Tax Drag
25.67% Effective
-$33,281 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
23% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$5,651/mo
Post-$1,731/mo 1BR Rent

Key Economic & Compensation Takeaways

Statutory Withholding Architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

Verified Government Data Sources & Statutory Attribution

Wages sourced from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS). Rents calibrated to HUD Fair Market Rents. Tax schedules calibrated to IRS IRC Title 26, IRS Pub 15-T, and state statutory revenue codes.

BLS OEWS May 2025 HUD FY2027 FMR IRS 15-T
Metro Pay Comparison SOC 15-1243
2026 Statutory Thresholds
  • Federal Standard Deduction (Single) $16,100
  • FICA OASDI Wage Base Cap $184,500
  • Pre-Tax 401(k) Elective Deferral $24,500
  • HSA Individual Annual Limit $4,400

Data Engineer in Charleston-North Charleston, SC: Market Snapshot

Data Engineer roles in Charleston-North Charleston, SC report a median annual wage of $129,640, 7.1% below the national median of $139,500. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $85,760 to $203,090, and HUD’s $1,731 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 16.0% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $30.18 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Data Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$197,960+52.7%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$175,860+35.7%
Reno, NV$170,390+31.4%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$169,310+30.6%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$168,390+29.9%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$163,590+26.2%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$163,350+26.0%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$162,870+25.6%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$162,640+25.5%
Springfield, MA$161,730+24.8%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Charleston-North Charleston, SC

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$197,220$94.82/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$174,040$83.67/hr
Advertising and Promotions Managers$170,000$81.73/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$167,000$80.29/hr
Compensation and Benefits Managers$150,810$72.50/hr
Financial Manager$147,170$70.75/hr
Sales Managers$139,830$67.23/hr
Marketing Managers$138,790$66.73/hr
Purchasing Managers$138,340$66.51/hr
Natural Sciences Managers$132,660$63.78/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 132 metropolitan areas publishing this occupation; HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; EPI Family Budget Calculator. Taxes use 2026 federal and state rules. Data last updated .

Regional Labor Market & Career Mobility Network

Explore adjacent occupations and neighboring metropolitan wage benchmarks for peer compensation analysis.

Data Engineer Salary in Charleston-North Charleston, SC (2026) Overview

Data Engineer median pay in Charleston-North Charleston, SC is $129,640 a year ($62.33/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Data Engineer in Charleston-North Charleston, SC compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Data Engineer in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

The median annual wage is $129,640 ($62.33 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $85,760 and $203,090. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Data Engineer in Charleston-North Charleston, SC after taxes?

On the median wage of $129,640, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $94,087 a year ($7,841 a month) after $35,553 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 27.42%, using 2026 tax rules.