SOC 35-3031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Waiters and Waitresses — Charleston
Charleston-North Charleston, SC · 7 metro areas compared
The median wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Charleston, SC is $19,340 per year, substantially below the national median of $35,230 — a gap of 45.1%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -0.7%
- Openings per year
- 456,700
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Charleston-North Charleston, SC.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Charleston, SC is $19,340 per year, substantially below the national median of $35,230 — a gap of 45.1%. Pay ranges from under $16,340 at the tenth percentile to more than $59,790 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $18,050 to $30,260.
The area has 9,580 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 24.3 of every thousand jobs. Greenville leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $19,950. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 513th of 513 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $16,340 | −53.6% |
| 25th | $18,050 | −48.8% |
| Median (50th) | $19,340 | −45.1% |
| 75th | $30,260 | −14.1% |
| 90th | $59,790 | +69.7% |
| Mean | $28,460 | −19.2% |
Other metro areas in South Carolina
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greenville | $19,950 | 9,090 | |
| 2 | Hilton Head Island | $19,830 | 3,390 | |
| 3 | Spartanburg | $18,370 | 2,140 | |
| 4 | Columbia | $17,810 | 6,580 | |
| 5 | Florence | $17,460 | 1,250 | |
| 6 | Sumter | $17,440 | 490 | |
| 7 | Myrtle Beach | $17,350 | 6,390 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Charleston sit close to the national average, so $19,340 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$19,340as reported by BLSLocal price level
101.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$19,149US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $19,340 a year, 45.1% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $16,340 to $59,790 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 9,580 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Greenville, at $19,950.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Waiters and Waitresses in Charleston, SC?
The median annual wage is $19,340, or $9.30 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $35,230, so pay in Charleston, SC is 45.1% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Charleston, SC earns more than $59,790 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $16,340 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Greenville, at $19,950 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 9,580 jobs in this occupation in Charleston, SC. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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