Charleston-North Charleston, SC · CBSA 16700
Materials Engineer Salary in Charleston
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for materials engineers in Charleston-North Charleston, SC, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against South Carolina and the national benchmark.
Materials Engineers in Charleston earn a median of $130,760 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $106,350–$130,760; the top 10% earn $164,470. That is 21% above the national median and 18% above the South Carolina median. BLS reports 210 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$130,760
+21% vs national
Top 10% earn
$164,470
90th percentile
Employed in metro
210
Reliability High (1.6% RSE)
Materials Engineer pay — Charleston vs South Carolina vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $79,470 | +17% |
| 25th percentile | $106,350 | +24% |
| Median50th percentile | $130,760 | +21% |
| 75th percentile | $130,760 | -5% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $164,470 | -4% |
| Meanaverage | $120,910 | +4% |
How concentrated materials engineers are in Charleston
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
3.67
Jobs per 1,000
0.54
Metro rank (pay)
#13 of 94
All engineering roles
$113,317
At a location quotient of 3.67, Charleston is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 3.7× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a materials engineer make in Charleston?
Does Charleston pay more than the rest of South Carolina?
Where does Charleston rank nationally for materials engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2131 (Materials Engineers), Charleston-North Charleston, SC (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →