Construction Laborers in the Charleston area earn a median of $43,630 a year, 7% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #266 of 391 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Hilton Head Island and Florence, but less in Sumter.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for construction laborers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and also below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (3.8%) and the population is growing faster than most (+10.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 1,563 one-person site prep & specialty contracting businesses averaging $91,976 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $60/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Charleston scorecard for construction laborers Our calculation
Grades compare Charleston with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($46,850).
Pay over time
The median pay for construction laborers in the Charleston area went from $34,470 in 2020 to $43,630 in 2025, up 26.6%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +1.0% — roughly keeping pace.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Charleston Our calculation
Prices in the Charleston area run 1% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $43,214 would in a typical place, ranking #309 of 385 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What construction laborers do
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
- Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
- Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
- Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
- Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, construction laborer jobs are projected to grow 7.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 120,000 openings a year. About 27% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often construction laborers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in South Carolina Official source
The main state licensing office in South Carolina is the South Carolina Contractors' Licensing Board. It can point you to the right license for construction laborers.
Official South Carolina licensing site ↗
Requirements for construction laborers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, construction laborers have 218 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 2.5× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying SC metros for construction laborers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head IslandSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $45,750 | $46,676 | 910 |
| FlorenceSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $45,230 | $52,124 | 650 |
| GreenvilleSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $44,380 | $47,587 | 3,250 |
| CharlestonSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $43,630 | $43,214 | 3,710 |
| ColumbiaSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $42,630 | $45,515 | 2,610 |
| SpartanburgSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $42,210 | $46,359 | 1,310 |
| SumterSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $38,650 | $43,910 | 390 |
| Myrtle BeachSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $38,210 | $40,804 | 1,440 |
See every metro in South Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Charleston area's unemployment rate was 3.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just construction laborers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Charleston area is 29 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 21% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 70% drive alone, 1% take transit and 16% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Charleston area's population grew 10.7% from 2020 to 2025 (803,468 → 889,263), ranking #29 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +72,328) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Charleston
The Charleston area has about 395,020 homes. 27% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 28% were built in 2010 or later. 70% of households own their home, and the median home value is $430,300.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Charleston are down 12% from 2021 to 2025 (8,282 → 7,287).
In 2025 the Charleston area approved permits for 7,287 new homes (5,799 single-family), or 8.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #39 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 1,563 one-person businesses (no employees) in site prep & specialty contracting, averaging $91,976 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 389 site prep & specialty contracting companies that have employees (about 3,622 workers in total). 66% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $43,630 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get construction laborer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Charleston with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.