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Repair & Maintenance · Charleston-North Charleston

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers Salary

in Charleston-North Charleston, SC

In Charleston-North Charleston, SC, electrical power-line installers and repairers earn $75,570 at the median, or about $36.33 an hour. The range runs from $50K at the entry level to $99K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.96), that's roughly $74,851 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,787/month, about 36% of take-home, which is tight.

Our verdict:Doable, but rent will pinch
Median pay
$76K
per year, before taxes
Hourly
$36.33
median hourly rate
Starting out
$50K
10th percentile
Top earners
$99K
90th percentile

Where the paycheck goes

What $76K actually covers in Charleston-North Charleston, month by month

Take-home pay
after estimated taxes
$4,862/mo
Rent
2-bedroom median (HUD)
-$1,787/mo
Groceries
scaled to local prices
-$396/mo
Utilities
power, water, internet
-$198/mo
Transportation
car, gas, transit
-$347/mo
Healthcare *
employee share only
-$230/mo
Rent as % of take-home36.8% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Left over each month$1,904/mo

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.

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About electrical power-line installers and repairers

Education: High school diploma or equivalent
U.S. employed: 131,070
Charleston-North Charleston, SC employed: 300
Category: Repair & Maintenance

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What this looks like in Charleston-North Charleston

Pay for electrical power-line installers and repairers in Charleston-North Charleston runs about 21% below the U.S. median of $95K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,787/month, which is 36.8% 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 electrical power-line installers and repairers.

Compared to nearby metros

Median pay for electrical power-line installers and repairers in metros near Charleston-North Charleston, adjusted for local cost of living.

MetroMedian payCOL-adjusted
Greenville-Anderson-Greer$78K$83K
Columbia$74K$79K
Spartanburg$77K$84K
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal$78K$79K

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

Bar chart showing Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers salary percentiles in Charleston-North Charleston, SC: 10th percentile $49,820, 25th percentile $62,150, median $75,570, 75th percentile $96,210, 90th percentile $98,680. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$50K25th$62KMedian$76K75th$96K90th$99K
Bar chart showing Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers salary percentiles in Charleston-North Charleston, SC: 10th percentile $49,820, 25th percentile $62,150, median $75,570, 75th percentile $96,210, 90th percentile $98,680. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level electrical power-line installers and repairers (10th percentile) start around $50K. Mid-career wages sit at $76K. Top earners bring in $99K or more, a $49K spread from bottom to top.

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Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers pay across states

Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure

View Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers salary in all states
StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
Hawaii$134K+41%600
Washington$133K+40%2,340
Oregon$131K+38%1,640
California$129K+35%8,930
Connecticut$127K+33%940
Idaho$125K+32%860
New Jersey$122K+28%1,310
New York$121K+27%5,840
Montana$110K+16%680
Massachusetts$110K+16%2,350
Vermont$109K+14%270
Illinois$108K+13%3,090
Michigan$107K+12%2,800
Pennsylvania$106K+11%4,150
Maryland$106K+11%1,830
North Dakota$106K+11%740
Wisconsin$106K+11%2,520
Rhode Island$105K+10%120
Minnesota$104K+9%2,190
Colorado$104K+9%2,370
New Hampshire$102K+7%560
Indiana$102K+7%2,540
Kansas$102K+7%1,610
District of Columbia$101K+6%150
Utah$101K+6%1,030
Iowa$100K+5%1,390
South Dakota$97K+2%740
Delaware$97K+2%330
Nevada$97K+1%920
Missouri$96K+1%3,440
Wyoming$94K-2%670
Ohio$93K-2%4,260
Alaska$92K-3%490
Nebraska$92K-3%1,490
Alabama$92K-3%2,730
Florida$87K-9%6,420
West Virginia$84K-12%1,260
Tennessee$84K-12%3,900
Maine$83K-13%1,160
Arkansas$81K-15%1,510
Georgia$80K-16%4,960
Texas$79K-17%17,280
North Carolina$77K-19%5,650
Kentucky$77K-19%2,930
South Carolina$77K-19%2,690
Virginia$77K-20%2,920
New Mexico$76K-20%1,020
Louisiana$76K-20%2,520
Oklahoma$76K-20%3,290
Mississippi$76K-20%2,290
Arizona$75K-21%3,360
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Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)

Track electrical power-line installers and repairers 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 electrical power-line installers and repairer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charleston-North Charleston?

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $76K, rent takes 36.8% 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 $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

What’s the entry-level salary for electrical power-line installers and repairers in Charleston-North Charleston?

The 10th-percentile wage — what new electrical power-line installers and repairers typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,376/month. At HUD’s $1,787/month FMR, rent would take 53% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Is electrical power-line installers and repairer a high-paying job in Charleston-North Charleston?

Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $76K here vs. $95K nationally.

How does Charleston-North Charleston compare to the national average for electrical power-line installers and repairers?

Charleston-North Charleston pays $76K median vs. the U.S. average of $95K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $75K — below the national median.

How much do electrical power-line installers and repairers make in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

The median is $75,570 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,820, and experienced electrical power-line installers and repairers can clear $98,680. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $76K enough to live in Charleston-North Charleston?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,862/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,787/month, which eats 36.8% 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 power-line installers and repairers 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 electrical power-line installers and repairers salary is worth about $74,851 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do electrical power-line installers and repairers 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.

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