How much does an MLS usually make in your area?

So I’m currently an MLT, I make $24 an hour and I live in a rural area in NC. I was talking to my boss the other day and was telling her I can take my MLS exam next year to become an MLS. She told me once I get my MLS, I can be a lead tech. I was excited because from what I’ve heard and seen on here, MLS can make pretty good money. But then my boss hit me with “you probably wont get much more than you do now”. I was like wtf? I thought an MLS always makes at least $30 an hour.

I was talking to one of my coworkers who is an MLS and he said that they tried to lowball him when he became an MLS and tried to give him like a dollar extra from when he was an MLT. He said he had to fight to get like $8 extra dollars an hour and had to leave for another job. Like nah, I can barely live on $24 an hour, I can’t imagine only getting like $1 more an hour.