Electrical Engineers Salary
In Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC, electrical engineers earn $75,020 at the median, or about $36.07 an hour. The range runs from $75K at the entry level to $135K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.02), that's roughly $76,535 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,816/month, about 36.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $75K get you in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal’s Regional Price Parity (98.02). 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 electrical engineers
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal
Pay for electrical engineers in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal runs about 38% below the U.S. median of $121K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,816/month, which is 37.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.02) 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 electrical engineerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for electrical engineers in metros near Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $102K | $109K |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $110K | $109K |
| Columbia | $101K | $108K |
| Spartanburg | $103K | $114K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Entry-level electrical engineers (10th percentile) start around $75K. Mid-career wages sit at $75K. Top earners bring in $135K or more, a $60K spread from bottom to top.
Electrical Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Electrical Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $159K | +31% | 2,560 |
| California | $144K | +19% | 24,230 |
| District of Columbia | $143K | +19% | 330 |
| New Hampshire | $136K | +13% | 1,600 |
| Washington | $133K | +10% | 7,610 |
| Texas | $129K | +7% | 20,870 |
| Idaho | $129K | +7% | 1,000 |
| Massachusetts | $128K | +6% | 5,040 |
| Delaware | $127K | +5% | 660 |
| Alaska | $126K | +4% | 350 |
| Alabama | $126K | +4% | 4,600 |
| New Jersey | $125K | +4% | 2,940 |
| Oregon | $125K | +4% | 2,540 |
| Maryland | $125K | +4% | 4,650 |
| Louisiana | $124K | +3% | 990 |
| Colorado | $121K | +0% | 4,200 |
| Virginia | $119K | -1% | 7,260 |
| New York | $119K | -1% | 8,770 |
| Missouri | $119K | -2% | 2,410 |
| Maine | $115K | -5% | 1,150 |
| West Virginia | $113K | -6% | 500 |
| Wyoming | $112K | -7% | 280 |
| Vermont | $111K | -8% | 820 |
| Pennsylvania | $111K | -8% | 6,970 |
| North Dakota | $111K | -8% | 260 |
| North Carolina | $110K | -9% | 7,090 |
| Minnesota | $110K | -9% | 3,150 |
| Illinois | $108K | -11% | 5,460 |
| Oklahoma | $108K | -11% | 2,080 |
| Nevada | $107K | -11% | 1,100 |
| Nebraska | $107K | -11% | 1,060 |
| Hawaii | $106K | -12% | 1,080 |
| Michigan | $106K | -12% | 10,840 |
| Iowa | $106K | -12% | 1,280 |
| Utah | $106K | -12% | 1,680 |
| Mississippi | $105K | -13% | 1,130 |
| Florida | $105K | -13% | 9,220 |
| Tennessee | $104K | -13% | 2,830 |
| Connecticut | $104K | -14% | 2,930 |
| Indiana | $103K | -15% | 4,000 |
| Kansas | $103K | -15% | 2,100 |
| Ohio | $101K | -17% | 6,360 |
| Arizona | $101K | -17% | 5,370 |
| Wisconsin | $100K | -17% | 3,550 |
| South Dakota | $99K | -18% | 530 |
| Kentucky | $99K | -18% | 1,540 |
| South Carolina | $98K | -18% | 3,490 |
| Arkansas | $97K | -20% | 900 |
| Montana | $87K | -28% | 790 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track electrical engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal numbers change.
Related careers in Engineering
Frequently asked questions
Can a electrical engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $75K, rent takes 37.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,816/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for electrical engineers in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new electrical engineers typically earn — is $75K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,501/month. At HUD’s $1,816/month FMR, rent would take 40% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is electrical engineer a high-paying job in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
Local pay runs 38% below the national median — $75K here vs. $121K nationally.
How does Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal compare to the national average for electrical engineers?
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal pays $75K median vs. the U.S. average of $121K — that’s -38%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.02), the purchasing-power equivalent is $77K — below the national median.
How much do electrical engineers make in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC?
The median is $75,020 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $75,020, and experienced electrical engineers can clear $135,390. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $75K enough to live in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,832/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,816/month, which eats 37.6% 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 electrical engineers salary go in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal has a Regional Price Parity of 98.02 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median electrical engineers salary is worth about $76,535 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do electrical engineers 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.