What Financial and Investment Analysts earn in Chester County, SC
According to the latest federal wage data for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, the median pay for Financial and Investment Analysts in Chester County, SC is $106,510 a year, or $51.21 an hour. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, the paycheck shrinks to $78,485 a year, and rent, food and energy take another bite. The sections below walk through each step with the actual math for Chester County, SC.
The mean wage is $117,200, which is 10.0% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 6,790 people working in this occupation across the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Chester County, SC has roughly 32,182 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Financial and Investment Analysts in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $65,540 a year ($31.51 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $172,310 or more ($82.84 an hour). That is a gap of $106,770 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $83,450 at the 25th percentile and $136,090 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.6 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $51.21 an hour or $106,510 a year at the median for Chester County, SC. Before any deductions, that is $8,876 a month, $4,097 every two weeks and $2,048 each week. After taxes the same job pays $37.73 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Financial and Investment Analysts
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Financial and Investment Analysts this way: "Conduct quantitative analyses of information involving investment programs or financial data of public or private institutions, including valuation of businesses."
Job outlook for Financial and Investment Analysts
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 377,200 jobs in 2025 to 404,300 in 2035, a change of +7.2%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 24,700 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 6.5% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $102,740 for this occupation; the Chester County, SC median of $106,510 is 3.7% above it.
How pay in Chester County, SC compares
Compared with the South Carolina average
A worker in this occupation in Chester County, SC earns $4,556 more than the South Carolina average of $101,954, a premium of 4.5%. Over a year that premium is worth $4,556 before tax and roughly $3,357 after tax. Within South Carolina, Chester County, SC already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
Nationally, Financial and Investment Analysts earn an employment-weighted average of $105,463 across the contiguous United States, so $106,510 in Chester County, SC is essentially average. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Chester County, SC
Among the 583 occupations with published wages in Chester County, SC, Financial and Investment Analysts ranks number 70 by median pay, ahead of about 88% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Computer and Information Systems Managers at $176,840 a year, which is $70,330 more than the median for Financial and Investment Analysts.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Financial and Investment Analysts earning the Chester County, SC median of $106,510, they add up to $28,025. The result is $78,485 of take-home pay a year ($6,540 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $26 goes to taxes and $74 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 26.3%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $90,760. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 22% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $14,881, an effective 14.0% of gross pay, well below the 22% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $6,604 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $1,544. FICA totals $8,148, which is 7.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in South Carolina
South Carolina income tax on this salary is $4,996 a year, or 4.7% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 34% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $416 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Chester County, SC
IRS Statistics of Income data for Chester County, SC show an average adjusted gross income of $58,268 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 9.8% across all filers. Filers in the $100,000 to under $200,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 10.5%, compared with the 14.0% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Chester County, SC
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Chester County, SC: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $78,485 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Chester County, SC, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $850 a month ($10,200 a year), and at $1,103 for two bedrooms. For Financial and Investment Analysts, a one-bedroom absorbs 13.0% of take-home pay and 9.6% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 3.2% of gross pay for Financial and Investment Analysts in Chester County, SC. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using South Carolina residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,504 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $667, for $2,171 in total. Gasoline in South Carolina averages $2.99 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,385.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $17,192 a year in Chester County, SC. Subtract that from $78,485 of take-home pay and $61,293 remains, which is $5,108 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 57.5% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Chester County, SC
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Chester County, SC: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Chester County, SC, set beside the South Carolina and national medians.
Property taxes in Chester County, SC
Homeowners in Chester County, SC pay a median of $890 a year in real estate taxes, 29% below the South Carolina median of $1,251 and 71% below the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $158,300, the median tax bill is 0.56% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Financial and Investment Analysts median of $106,510, a tax bill of that size would equal 0.8% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Chester County, SC
Renters in Chester County, SC pay a median gross rent of $853 a month in the Census survey, 28% below the South Carolina median of $1,180. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $850 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $158,300, 39% below the South Carolina median of $259,000. Median household income is $52,458, 24% below the South Carolina median of $69,324, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 19.4% of that income.
Commuting in Chester County, SC
Workers in Chester County, SC who travel to a workplace spend an average of 31.6 minutes each way, 23% above the South Carolina average of 25.6. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 5.3 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 5.5% of workers in Chester County, SC work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Financial and Investment Analysts afford to live in Chester County, SC?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $106,510 that ceiling is $2,663 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $850 is $1,813 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $16.35 an hour; the median for Financial and Investment Analysts is $51.21, which is 213% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $37.73 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 5.2 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,103 a month means $552 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $3,582 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $64,875.
How fast you can save
At $5,108 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 2 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 4 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Financial and Investment Analysts pay in Chester County, SC
How much do Financial and Investment Analysts make per hour in Chester County, SC?
The median is $51.21 per hour, based on $106,510 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $31.51 at the 10th percentile to $82.84 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Financial and Investment Analysts take home after taxes in Chester County, SC?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $106,510 becomes $78,485 a year. That is $6,540 a month, $3,019 every two weeks or $1,509 a week.
How much tax do Financial and Investment Analysts pay in Chester County, SC?
Total taxes are $28,025 a year, an effective rate of 26.3%: $14,881 federal income tax, $8,148 FICA and $4,996 South Carolina income tax.
Do Financial and Investment Analysts earn more in Chester County, SC than elsewhere in South Carolina?
Yes. The local median of $106,510 is +4.5% versus the South Carolina average of $101,954, a difference of $4,556 a year.
Can Financial and Investment Analysts afford a one-bedroom apartment in Chester County, SC?
A one-bedroom costs $850 a month against take-home pay of $6,540, which is 13.0% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $2,663 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Financial and Investment Analysts in Chester County, SC?
About $5,108 a month ($61,293 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $17,192 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Chester County, SC at the 30% guideline?
$16.35 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $10,200 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Financial and Investment Analysts is $51.21.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the South Carolina rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.