2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · South Carolina

$17 an Hour in South Carolina — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $17/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $35,360. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and South Carolina state income tax, your take-home pay is $14.11/hr. In South Carolina's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in South Carolina.

Gross Annual
$35,360
Net Annual
$29,359
Net Monthly
$2,447
Net Hourly
$14.11

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $17.00 $2.89 $14.11
Daily (8 hrs) $136.00 $23.08 $112.92
Weekly (40 hrs) $680.00 $115.40 $564.60
Biweekly $1,360.00 $230.80 $1,129.20
Monthly $2,946.67 $500.07 $2,446.59
Annual $35,360 $6,001 $29,359

Full Tax Breakdown — South Carolina, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $17/hr × 2,080 hrs $35,360
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $19,260
Federal Income Tax 5.8% −$2,063.20
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,192.32
Medicare (1.45%) −$512.72
South Carolina Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
South Carolina State Income Tax 3.5% −$1,232.64
Total Tax 17.0% effective −$6,000.88
Net Take-Home $29,359

How Does South Carolina Compare?

See how $17/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $588.78 $2,500/mo $30,003 Florida None $2,549/mo $30,592 New York $1,173.65 $2,452/mo $29,418 Texas None $2,549/mo $30,592 Washington None $2,549/mo $30,592
Open Full Calculator for South Carolina — $17/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$17/hr = $35,360/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$35,360 salary in South Carolina — full breakdown $35,360 after tax in South Carolina $35,360 salary to hourly South Carolina paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in South Carolina

$14/hr in South Carolina$15/hr in South Carolina$16/hr in South Carolina$18/hr in South Carolina$19/hr in South Carolina$20/hr in South Carolina

Same Rate, Other States

$17/hr in Alabama$17/hr in Alaska$17/hr in Arizona$17/hr in Arkansas$17/hr in California$17/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in South Carolina

✗ Difficult — $17/hr falls short in South Carolina
  • Avg 1BR rent in Charleston: $1,050/mo — over the 30% rule (36% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in South Carolina: $36,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $29,359 ($6,641 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$19.8/hr

Working at $17/hr in South Carolina

This is a solid income in South Carolina. The manufacturing sector creates real mid-wage employment. Charleston and Greenville have grown significantly, with improving amenities at reasonable costs relative to similar-sized coastal cities.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 75 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Charleston (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.3x South Carolina's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in South Carolina is 17.0% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.8%, FICA 7.6%, and South Carolina state tax 3.5%.

South Carolina has attracted significant manufacturing investment — BMW, Volvo, Boeing, and Mercedes-Benz Vans all have major facilities here. Charleston's port is growing rapidly. The state also has significant tourism and healthcare sectors.

South Carolina has a flat 6.4% income tax rate (reduced from a graduated system). The state mirrors the federal standard deduction.

South Carolina follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.

Monthly Budget on $17/hr in South Carolina

Based on $2,447/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for South Carolina's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,050 $12,600 42.9%
Food (groceries + dining) $294 $3,528 12.0%
Transportation $245 $2,940 10.0%
Utilities $147 $1,764 6.0%
Healthcare $122 $1,464 5.0%
Entertainment $122 $1,464 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $245 $2,940 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $222 $2,664 9.1%

Overtime Pay — $17/hr in South Carolina

At time-and-a-half ($25.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in South Carolina. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.9%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $128 $102 $5,100
10 hrs/week $255 $204 $10,200
20 hrs/week $510 $409 $20,450

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $17/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $14.11 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3 hrs 3.6 hrs
Week of groceries $120 7.1 hrs 8.6 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 47 hrs 56.7 hrs
1 month rent (Charleston) $1,050 61.8 hrs 74.4 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 588.3 hrs 708.5 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2823.6 hrs 3400.7 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

17 an hour -- is it a good wage in South Carolina?

17/hr in South Carolina gives you $29,359/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in South Carolina. Avg 1BR rent in Charleston: $1,050/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 17 an hour after taxes in South Carolina?

17/hr in South Carolina = $29,359/year or $2,447/month net. Effective rate: 17.0%.

How does 17/hr go further -- South Carolina or Texas?

17/hr in South Carolina has similar purchasing power to ~19.8/hr in Texas.

What does 17/hr look like as a monthly budget in South Carolina?

On $2,447/month in South Carolina: rent $1,050, food $294, transport $245, savings $245, surplus ~$222.

How much does overtime add at 17/hr in South Carolina?

At 1.5x (25.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,100/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$10,200/year.