SOC 27-3043 · Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro

Writers and Authors Salary in Charleston, SC

The average salary for writers and authors in Charleston, South Carolina is $67,880 a year ($32.64 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $78,000: half of the 130 people in this job in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 21% less than the U.S. average for this job ($86,090).

$67,880average per year

$32.64 / hourMedian $78,000Take-home ≈ $54,399

  • $44K10th
  • $44K25th
  • $78KMedian
  • $83K75th
  • $83K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

130people in this job
-21%vs U.S. average
#1 of 3South Carolina metros
101cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Writers and Authors pay range in Charleston

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $44,210 a year or less, while the top 10% make $82,750 or more. The middle half of writers and authors in Charleston earn between $44,220 and $82,750.

  • $44K10th
  • $44K25th
  • $78KMedian
  • $83K75th
  • $83K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$67,880$5,657$32.63
Median$78,000$6,500$37.50
Entry level (25th percentile)$44,220$3,685$21.26
Experienced (75th percentile)$82,750$6,896$39.78

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Writers and Authors pay in Charleston vs. South Carolina and the U.S.

Writers and authors in Charleston earn 16% more than the South Carolina average ($58,440) and 21% less than the U.S. average ($86,090). At the median the gap is +1% against the U.S. median of $76,910.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Charleston$67,880$78,000$44,210$82,750130
South Carolina$58,440$51,920$38,210$91,140520
United States$86,090$76,910$44,310$139,87047,940

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Writers and Authors salary after taxes in Charleston

On the average salary of $67,880, a single filer in Charleston takes home about $54,399 a year, or $4,533 a month and $2,092 every two weeks. Taxes take 20% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).

South Carolina paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Charleston a good place for writers and authors? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Charleston area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 101.0), so the average $67,880 buys what about $67,233 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Charleston ($49,150). A typical home costs $435,877, or 6.4 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $67,880 is worth in another city

Writers and Authors salary in other South Carolina cities

Charleston ranks 1st of 3 South Carolina metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Writers and Authors salaries in South Carolina

Highest-paying cities for writers and authors

Waterbury, CT pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($186,370).

Writers and Authors salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Writers and Authors in Charleston, SC.

Writers and Authors salary in Charleston: questions

How much do writers and authors make an hour in Charleston?

$32.64 an hour on average, and $37.50 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level writers and authors salary in Charleston?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $44,210 a year and the 25th percentile is $44,220, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the writers and authors take-home pay in Charleston?

About $54,399 a year ($4,533 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $67,880.

Do writers and authors earn more in Charleston than elsewhere?

The average here is 21% less than the U.S. average for this job ($86,090).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-3043; area Charleston-North Charleston, SC (16700). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 12.1%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.06, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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