Elevator Maintenance recruiters serving Charleston.
BLS counts 20 business locations of nonresidential building-equipment contractors across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Charleston.
BLS counts about 590 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Charleston metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 460). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Elevator Maintenance hub.
Elevator Mechanic / Installer
Sample job description →Charleston: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Elevator Service Technician
Elevator Maintenance Technician
QEI-Certified Inspector
Charleston: 460 employed · $60,140 median, 100th-highest of 112 metros
Escalator Technician
Elevator Modernization Technician
Elevator Project Manager
Charleston: 1,080 employed · $107,610 median, 64th-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Service Dispatcher / Coordinator
Charleston: 500 employed · $48,200 median, 72nd-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Estimator
Charleston: 540 employed · $73,130 median, 88th-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician
Charleston: 130 employed · $88,130 median, 9th-highest of 107 metros
What Elevator Maintenance roles earn in Charleston.
BLS publishes no Charleston pay for elevator and escalator installers and repairers; nationally the median is $109,910. Construction and building inspectors in Charleston earn a median $60,140, 19% under the $74,690 national figure, and 100th of 112 metros. Pay runs $37,590 at the tenth percentile to $85,930 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $88,130 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Charleston pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Charleston median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator Mechanic / Installer · Elevator Service Technician · Elevator Maintenance TechnicianElevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (47-4021) | – | – | $109,910 | – | – |
| QEI-Certified InspectorConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $60,140 | $37,590–$85,930 | $74,690 | −19% | 460 |
| Elevator Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $107,610 | $72,640–$192,330 | $114,990 | −6% | 1,080 |
| Elevator Service Dispatcher / CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $48,200 | $35,080–$74,570 | $50,340 | −4% | 500 |
| Elevator EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $73,130 | $48,840–$129,520 | $78,740 | −7% | 540 |
| Elevator Controls / Electronics TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $88,130 | $53,470–$101,610 | $74,090 | +19% | 130 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Charleston metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Charleston's elevator maintenance market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Charleston rose from 15 in 2018 to 20 in 2023, up 33%, ahead of the 8% national rise. Headcount at those firms went down 9%, to about 172 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $69,439 to $87,859 (+27%), faster than the 20% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: business locations | 15 | 20 | +33% |
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: employment | 188 | 172 | −9% |
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: average annual pay | $69,439 | $87,859 | +27% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Elevator Maintenance hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Elevator Maintenance · 2026 Elevator Maintenance Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Elevator Maintenance
How Charleston's elevator maintenance market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Beach | 70 | $93,360 | 3.01 | 6 |
| Columbia | 60 | $80,830 | 1.07 | 28 |
| Greenville | – | – | – | 34 |
| Charleston | – | – | – | 20 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:Local elevator maintenance employers in Charleston have been cutting headcount, so the people you want are more likely to be weighing a move than actively looking.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Charleston metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Elevator Maintenance licensing in South Carolina.
South Carolina has no elevator mechanic license and no elevator contractor license. Title 41, Chapter 16 does not define or license elevator contractors or mechanics, and the Contractor's Licensing Board classification list contains no elevator or conveying systems category. The state regulates the equipment, requiring a permit to install or alter and an annual certificate of operation, and it licenses only special inspectors, who under Regulation 71-5400 must show QEI-1 qualifications or hold an inspector certificate from an ASME-accredited authority plus liability coverage. Verify apprenticeship completion, union journeyman card and prior employer references, and treat QEI certification as relevant only for inspection roles. The same state rules apply in Greenville, Columbia and Myrtle Beach, so candidates licensed there can work in Charleston without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides (S.C. Code Title 41, Chapter 16). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Charleston talent.
The closest metro we cover is Myrtle Beach, about 85 miles away, with roughly 70 elevator and escalator installers and repairers. BLS does not publish Charleston figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Myrtle Beach has the largest pool within reach, about 70, at a $93,360 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | – | – | – |
| Myrtle Beach | 87 mi | 70 | $93,360 |
| Columbia | 106 mi | 60 | $80,830 |
| Augusta | 128 mi | – | – |
| Charlotte | 177 mi | – | – |
| Jacksonville | 197 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Charleston crews.
Not elevator maintenance work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Charleston in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- U.S. Coast Guard Base Charleston modernization$440M+ across three contracts (including a $230M design-build contract for a new engineering complex, personnel housing, and parking structure)Latest contract targets 2030 completion
A multi-year infrastructure expansion: Pier Mike recapitalization, a new medical/dental facility, and now a 90,000 sq ft engineering complex plus a 120,000 sq ft multifunctional building - all built by Brasfield & Gorrie.
- Port of Charleston terminal expansionsMultiple concurrent projectsRo-ro terminal operational 2027, full completion 2028; Leatherman Berth 2 under construction
North Charleston Terminal expansion (3.4M TEU capacity via the former WestRock site), Leatherman Terminal's second berth (toward 2.4M TEU at full buildout), and a new ro-ro terminal doubling vehicle throughput to 500,000+ annually - sustained port-facility construction across three separate terminals.
- Boeing South Carolina final assembly building expansion$1B+Ramping to 10 airplanes/month in 2026
A new 1.2 million sq ft final assembly building in North Charleston - aerospace-grade electrical, mechanical, and fabrication demand at a scale unmatched elsewhere in the metro.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Charleston market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for elevator maintenance, and what kills offers in Charleston.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end an elevator maintenance offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Elevator Maintenance credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Elevator Maintenance hiring in Charleston.
Which elevator maintenance roles pay the most in Charleston?
Of the roles we recruit for, Elevator Project Manager pays the most in Charleston, a $107,610 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician at $88,130, 18% below it. QEI-Certified Inspector is the lowest-paid field role at $60,140. Relative to national pay, Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician is the strongest-paying role here (19% above). QEI-Certified Inspector trails national pay the most (19% below).
How many nonresidential building-equipment contractors operate in Charleston?
BLS counted 20 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Charleston in 2023, employing about 172 people between them. Up from 15 in 2018, a 33% increase against 8% growth nationally. That averages 8.6 people per location. They pay an average of $87,859, 9% below the $96,086 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts elevator contractors under nonresidential building-equipment contractors.
Which nearby metros compete with Charleston for elevator and escalator installers and repairers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Myrtle Beach (87 miles, about 70, $93,360 median), Columbia (106 miles, about 60, $80,830 median) and Atlanta (266 miles, about 510, $83,500 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
20 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Charleston are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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