Food Service Managers Salary
Food Service Managers in Charleston-North Charleston, SC make a median of $75,700 a year, or about $36.39 an hour. The range runs from $50K at the entry level to $116K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 100.96), that's roughly $74,980 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,787/month, about 35.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $76K get you in Charleston-North Charleston?
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 food service managers
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What this looks like in Charleston-North Charleston
Food service managers pay in Charleston-North Charleston tracks closely to the national median, $76K locally vs. $69K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,787/month, which is 36.7% 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. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for food service managers in metros near Charleston-North Charleston, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | $61K | $65K |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $64K | $69K |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach | $73K | $78K |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal | $75K | $76K |
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 food service managers (10th percentile) start around $50K. Mid-career wages sit at $76K. Top earners bring in $116K or more, a $66K spread from bottom to top.
Food Service Managers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Food Service Managers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $95K | +37% | 1,180 |
| Massachusetts | $92K | +33% | 4,310 |
| Hawaii | $88K | +27% | 1,230 |
| New York | $84K | +21% | 8,000 |
| Rhode Island | $83K | +19% | 760 |
| Alaska | $82K | +18% | 380 |
| District of Columbia | $82K | +18% | 1,000 |
| Colorado | $80K | +15% | 2,440 |
| Minnesota | $80K | +15% | 730 |
| California | $78K | +13% | 33,180 |
| New Jersey | $78K | +12% | 6,360 |
| Connecticut | $78K | +12% | 1,520 |
| Vermont | $78K | +12% | 500 |
| New Hampshire | $77K | +11% | 590 |
| Delaware | $74K | +7% | 770 |
| North Carolina | $74K | +7% | 9,420 |
| Maryland | $73K | +5% | N/A |
| Florida | $73K | +5% | 18,500 |
| North Dakota | $72K | +4% | 950 |
| Montana | $72K | +4% | 950 |
| Indiana | $71K | +3% | 4,990 |
| Virginia | $71K | +3% | 3,820 |
| Maine | $71K | +2% | 1,210 |
| Kentucky | $70K | +1% | 1,680 |
| Kansas | $70K | +1% | 1,540 |
| Arizona | $70K | +1% | 3,400 |
| Idaho | $70K | +1% | 670 |
| Utah | $69K | +0% | 2,400 |
| Iowa | $67K | -4% | 1,760 |
| South Carolina | $66K | -5% | 5,080 |
| Missouri | $66K | -6% | 1,600 |
| Nevada | $65K | -6% | 4,310 |
| Georgia | $65K | -6% | 9,230 |
| New Mexico | $65K | -6% | 1,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $65K | -7% | 10,530 |
| Tennessee | $64K | -7% | 4,550 |
| Illinois | $64K | -8% | 11,270 |
| Oklahoma | $64K | -8% | 2,020 |
| Alabama | $63K | -9% | 4,330 |
| Ohio | $63K | -9% | 8,570 |
| Wyoming | $63K | -10% | 590 |
| Oregon | $62K | -10% | 4,420 |
| Wisconsin | $62K | -11% | 6,000 |
| Louisiana | $61K | -12% | 1,950 |
| Michigan | $61K | -12% | 9,240 |
| Texas | $61K | -12% | 25,990 |
| South Dakota | $61K | -13% | 1,270 |
| Nebraska | $60K | -13% | 2,050 |
| Mississippi | $60K | -14% | 1,920 |
| Arkansas | $55K | -21% | 2,720 |
| West Virginia | $55K | -21% | 1,230 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track food service managers salary changes
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Related careers in Management
Frequently asked questions
Can a food service manager afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charleston-North Charleston?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $76K, rent takes 36.7% 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 food service managers in Charleston-North Charleston?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new food service managers typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,990/month. At HUD’s $1,787/month FMR, rent would take 60% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is food service manager a high-paying job in Charleston-North Charleston?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $76K locally vs. $69K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Charleston-North Charleston compare to the national average for food service managers?
Charleston-North Charleston pays $76K median vs. the U.S. average of $69K — that’s +9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $75K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do food service managers make in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?
The median is $75,700 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,840, and experienced food service managers can clear $115,650. 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 $4,869/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,787/month, which eats 36.7% 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 food service managers 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 food service managers salary is worth about $74,980 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do food service managers 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.