Janitorial wages — Charleston-North Charleston, SC metropolitan area
Charleston’s labor market splits along three distinct demand tracks: the Port of Charleston and associated logistics corridor, where industrial facility cleaning runs at different wage and risk profiles than office work; the military and federal installation complex (Joint Base Charleston, Naval Weapons Station), where SCA compliance is mandatory; and the tourism and hospitality sector on the peninsula and barrier islands, where seasonal demand spikes create staffing volatility from March through October. A BSC treating Charleston as a single-rate market will mis-price at least one of these tracks.
BLS Wage Data: What Janitors Earn in Charleston
Per BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area tables (May 2024), the Charleston-North Charleston MSA places janitorial mean hourly wages (SOC 37-2011) in the $13–$16/hr range, consistent with the Sunbelt band. The national mean of $17.43/hr sits roughly 10–20% above Charleston’s median. The metro employs approximately 8,000–11,000 janitors across healthcare (MUSC, Trident Health), government, logistics, and commercial real estate.
| Percentile | Est. Hourly Wage | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $10.00–$11.50 | Marginal part-time and seasonal hospitality |
| 25th | $12.00–$13.50 | Strip commercial and light retail |
| 50th (median) | $13.50–$15.50 | Full-time commercial office and healthcare-adjacent |
| 75th | $16.50–$19.00 | Hospital EVS, port logistics, military-adjacent |
| 90th | $20.00–$23.00 | Federal SCA at JB Charleston, senior hospital |
Wage Drivers: What Shapes Charleston Labor Costs
BEA Regional Price Parities place the Charleston metro near 93–97 nationally, per BEA Regional Price Parities. Growing population inflows from the Northeast have pushed housing costs above typical South Carolina levels. Port operations (South Carolina Ports Authority) generate logistics and warehouse cleaning at rates above standard commercial. MUSC and Trident Health anchor healthcare EVS. South Carolina unemployment tracked 3.0–4.0% through 2024 per BLS LAUS; hospitality and construction compete for entry-level cleaning labor during peak seasons.
Loaded Labor Cost: What Employers Actually Pay
Burden breakdown at $14.50/hr: FICA 7.65% ($1.11) + SC SUTA ~2% ($0.29) + workers’ comp $1.60–$2.30/$100 per South Carolina Department of Insurance + GL ($0.33/hr) + health ($1.75–$3.00/hr) + PTO ($0.38/hr). $14.50 × 1.29 = $18.71 loaded; supervision adds $0.38–$0.55 = $19.09–$19.26 all-in. Use the production rate calculator to model inputs by account type.
State Minimum Wage and Local Premiums
South Carolina has no state minimum wage above the federal $7.25/hr, per South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. No Charleston or North Charleston ordinance operates above the federal floor. The practical market floor for full-time commercial janitorial sits in the $12–$14/hr range driven by competition. Tipped wage rules do not apply to cleaning work.
Union Landscape and Collective Bargaining
South Carolina is a Right-to-Work state. Commercial BSC janitorial work in Charleston is almost entirely non-union. Port workers (ILA) are heavily unionized at the docks, but port-facility building services are typically on separate non-union BSC contracts. Hospital EVS at MUSC may carry SEIU Healthcare or AFSCME presence for directly employed staff. See SEIU.org for organizing context.
Workers’ Compensation Rates for NAICS 561720
South Carolina workers’ comp rates for NAICS 561720 run approximately $1.60–$2.30 per $100 payroll in the voluntary market. Coverage is mandatory for employers with four or more employees. Details at South Carolina Department of Insurance, Workers’ Compensation.
Prevailing Wage and Service Contract Act Implications
Federal installations at Joint Base Charleston and the Naval Weapons Station require Service Contract Act compliance; these are large, high-value cleaning contracts for qualified BSCs. Wage determinations are at SAM.gov Wage Determinations; SCA rates for Charleston typically run $16–$20/hr. South Carolina has no statewide prevailing wage law for private service contracts. See DOL Service Contract Act.
Total Compensation: Benefits, Turnover, and Hiring Cost
Per BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, benefits represent 27–31% of total compensation. South Carolina has no state-mandated paid sick leave. Per ISSA benchmarks, janitorial turnover runs 75–200% annually; Charleston’s hospitality and construction sectors amplify volatility at the low end of the wage spectrum. Replacing one full-time janitor costs roughly $1,500–$3,000 per event at Charleston wage levels.
Military and Port Accounts Require Separate Pricing Tracks
A Charleston BSC mixing federal SCA accounts, port logistics accounts, and commercial office accounts into a single loaded-labor rate will under-price SCA work relative to compliance requirements and over-price commercial office work relative to competitors who segregate their rate structures. Military facility cleaning at JB Charleston requires facility clearances, security protocols, and SCA fringe accounting. Port logistics cleaning operates under industrial classification codes with higher WC rates. Blending all three into one rate destroys the margin signal on each contract type and eventually produces a portfolio where profitable accounts cross-subsidize unprofitable ones without anyone knowing which is which.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area Estimates (May 2024)
- South Carolina DLLR, Wage and Hour
- South Carolina Department of Insurance, Workers’ Compensation
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
- BEA Regional Price Parities
See the bid template guide for the Charleston MSA for scope-of-work tables and pricing benchmarks. Model loaded labor with the Opora bid generator. For healthcare facility cleaning at MUSC, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Stress-test bids with the bid stress test.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026