How much do Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders make in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

Percentile spread

For Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders, the published 10th percentile is $33,810 and the 90th percentile is $70,940. The difference is $37,130, which is 94.8% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $39,180 to the 75th at $62,890, covers $23,710.

The mean annual wage is $47,930, which sits above the median of $39,180. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Charleston-North Charleston, SC median is 28% lower than the national median of $54,430 for Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders. In 2024 national prices the local median is $38,807, which is 28.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 11.3% lower than the South Carolina median of $44,160.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Charleston-North Charleston, SC is 100.962, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $39,180 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders at $38,807 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

2 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders. Charleston-North Charleston, SC ranks 2nd of 3 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC is 155 miles away, with a median of $61,780 and employment of 240. That median is 57.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $63,463, against $38,807 here.
• Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC is 180 miles away, with a median of $37,060 and employment of 60. That median is 5.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $39,738, against $38,807 here.

Employment share

Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders accounts for 0.04% of wage-and-salary employment in Charleston-North Charleston, SC (150 of 394,170). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (16,780 of 155,495,730). The local share is 3.53 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.