Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary
Commercial and Industrial Designers in Charleston-North Charleston, SC make a median of $58,690 a year, or about $28.22 an hour. The range runs from $34K at the entry level to $104K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.96), that's roughly $58,132 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,787/month, about 46.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $59K actually covers in Charleston-North Charleston, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Charleston-North Charleston’s Regional Price Parity (100.96). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About commercial and industrial designers
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What this looks like in Charleston-North Charleston
Pay for commercial and industrial designers in Charleston-North Charleston runs about 30% below the U.S. median of $84K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,787/month, which is 45.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 100.96) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for commercial and industrial designers.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for commercial and industrial designers in metros near Charleston-North Charleston, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $78K | $84K |
| Columbia | $75K | $80K |
| Spartanburg | $91K | $100K |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $84K | $86K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Entry-level commercial and industrial designers (10th percentile) start around $34K. Mid-career wages sit at $59K. Top earners bring in $104K or more, a $70K spread from bottom to top.
Commercial and Industrial Designers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Commercial and Industrial Designers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | $105K | +25% | 260 |
| Michigan | $102K | +22% | 2,930 |
| Massachusetts | $102K | +21% | 1,240 |
| Rhode Island | $101K | +21% | 190 |
| California | $101K | +20% | 5,300 |
| Louisiana | $98K | +17% | 130 |
| Minnesota | $94K | +12% | 590 |
| Washington | $94K | +12% | 340 |
| Arkansas | $93K | +10% | 230 |
| Georgia | $91K | +9% | 360 |
| Colorado | $91K | +8% | 400 |
| New Jersey | $90K | +8% | 1,230 |
| New York | $90K | +7% | 2,400 |
| Indiana | $88K | +5% | 1,110 |
| Pennsylvania | $83K | -2% | 770 |
| Virginia | $82K | -2% | 1,480 |
| Connecticut | $81K | -3% | 160 |
| Idaho | $81K | -4% | 180 |
| Vermont | $81K | -4% | 120 |
| North Carolina | $81K | -4% | 1,000 |
| Wisconsin | $81K | -4% | 820 |
| Ohio | $79K | -5% | 1,190 |
| Florida | $79K | -6% | 1,990 |
| South Carolina | $77K | -8% | 810 |
| Oregon | $77K | -8% | 480 |
| Nevada | $77K | -9% | 210 |
| Oklahoma | $77K | -9% | 240 |
| Arizona | $76K | -9% | 170 |
| Kentucky | $76K | -9% | 420 |
| Missouri | $75K | -10% | 270 |
| New Hampshire | $74K | -12% | 110 |
| West Virginia | $73K | -13% | 110 |
| Montana | $73K | -13% | 60 |
| Nebraska | $72K | -15% | 90 |
| Tennessee | $71K | -15% | 750 |
| Maryland | $71K | -16% | 490 |
| Iowa | $70K | -16% | 440 |
| Alabama | $64K | -24% | 130 |
| New Mexico | $63K | -25% | 110 |
| Utah | $63K | -25% | 480 |
| South Dakota | $60K | -28% | 190 |
Showing 1–10 of 41 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track commercial and industrial designers salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Charleston-North Charleston numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a commercial and industrial designer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charleston-North Charleston?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $59K, rent takes 45.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,787/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for commercial and industrial designers in Charleston-North Charleston?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new commercial and industrial designers typically earn — is $34K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,375/month. At HUD’s $1,787/month FMR, rent would take 75% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is commercial and industrial designer a high-paying job in Charleston-North Charleston?
Local pay runs 30% below the national median — $59K here vs. $84K nationally.
How does Charleston-North Charleston compare to the national average for commercial and industrial designers?
Charleston-North Charleston pays $59K median vs. the U.S. average of $84K — that’s -30%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $58K — below the national median.
How much do commercial and industrial designers make in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?
The median is $58,690 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $33,580, and experienced commercial and industrial designers can clear $103,590. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $59K enough to live in Charleston-North Charleston?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,922/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,787/month, which eats 45.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a commercial and industrial designers salary go in Charleston-North Charleston?
Charleston-North Charleston has a Regional Price Parity of 100.96 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median commercial and industrial designers salary is worth about $58,132 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do commercial and industrial designers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.