Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Salary in Charleston, SC

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area earn a median $50,400 a year — 1% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $40,810 take-home, or $3,401 a month.

Median salary
$50,400
$24.23 per hour
Typical range
$35,870 – $73,200
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Charleston, SC
3,350
0.96× national concentration
▲5.4%
Pay trend: The median for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in Charleston, SC rose from $47,800 (May 2024) to $50,400 (May 2025). That beat inflation (2.4%), a real raise of about 3.0%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary in Charleston, SC. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Charleston, SC
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$40,810
per year · effective tax rate 19.0%
$3,401Monthly
$1,700Twice a month
$1,570Every 2 weeks
$19.62Hourly
  • Federal income tax$3,868
  • Social Security (6.2%)$3,125
  • Medicare (1.45%)$731
  • South Carolina income tax$1,867
  • Take-home pay$40,810

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 6.00% state

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay by experience in Charleston, SC

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$35,870$17.25$30,006$2,501
25th percentile$44,110$21.21$36,133$3,011
Median (50th)$50,400$24.23$40,810$3,401
75th percentile$60,850$29.25$48,579$4,048
90th percentile (top earners)$73,200$35.19$57,091$4,758

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, South Carolina resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $50,400 buys in Charleston, SC

Prices in Charleston, SC are 1.0% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.20× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks's $40,810 take-home pay has the buying power of $40,421 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,630
48% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,787
53% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$1,771
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs are about as common in Charleston, SC as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.96).

Best-paying cities for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, adjusted for cost of living

Charleston, SC ranks #86 of 95 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1New Haven, CT $62,890$50,807$48,592
2San Jose, CA $66,130$52,378$47,434
3Hartford, CT $59,470$48,213$46,924
4Austin, TX $54,320$45,826$46,730
5Bridgeport, CT $61,390$49,669$46,479
6Seattle, WA $60,460$50,760$45,675
7Des Moines, IA $50,610$41,574$45,336
8Kansas City, MO $50,940$41,653$45,010
86Charleston, SC$50,400$40,810$40,421

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 95 metros →

About the job: bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete. Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records. May also check the accuracy of figures, calculations, and postings pertaining to business transactions recorded by other workers.

Typical education
Some college, no degree
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
-5.6% (declining)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salaries elsewhere in South Carolina

Frequently asked questions

How much does a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks make in Charleston, SC?

The median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area is $50,400 a year, or about $24.23 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $44,110 and $60,850.

What is a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks’s take-home pay in Charleston, SC?

On the median $50,400 salary, a single filer living in South Carolina takes home about $40,810 a year ($3,401 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,867 in South Carolina taxes in 2026.

Is Charleston, SC a good place to work as a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?

Pay here is 1% below the national median of $50,670. Local prices are 1.0% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $40,421 would in a typical U.S. city. Charleston, SC ranks #86 of 95 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks afford rent in Charleston, SC?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Charleston, SC is $1,630 a month ($1,787 for two bedrooms) — 48% of a median bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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