Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors · SOC 53-7081
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors Salary in the South Carolina
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025South Carolina
Figures describe the state of South Carolina as a whole.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in the South Carolina earned a median of $34,880 per year ($16.77 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $22,340 at the 10th percentile to $50,600 at the 90th. BLS estimates 2,020 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in the South Carolina earn more than $34,880 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $27,850 and $42,150.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $22,340 | $27,850 | $34,880 | $42,150 | $50,600 |
| Hourly | $10.74 | $13.39 | $16.77 | $20.27 | $24.33 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- South Carolina$34,880 median for South Carolina; middle half earns $27,850 to $42,150
- United Statesnational$49,690 median for United States; middle half earns $39,080 to $62,020
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −30% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in South Carolina
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for refuse and recyclable material collectors, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- South Carolinathis page$34,880 median for South Carolina; middle half earns $27,850 to $42,150
- $48,160 median for Sumter metro area; middle half earns $33,430 to $59,160
- $46,340 median for Hilton Head Island metro area; middle half earns $33,010 to $50,600
- $37,890 median for Charleston metro area; middle half earns $37,050 to $52,290
- $36,880 median for Spartanburg metro area; middle half earns $27,880 to $45,380
- $35,840 median for Greenville metro area; middle half earns $31,690 to $42,150
- $35,190 median for Myrtle Beach metro area; middle half earns $32,180 to $40,430
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for refuse and recyclable material collectorss · Highest-paying occupations in South Carolina
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.