Charleston, SC

Census Place

2024 Population

154,338

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.6

1.39% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.3%

2.8% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$92,414

2.64% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$509,700

Population & Diversity

Charleston, SC is home to a population of 154k people, from which 96.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.97% of Charleston, SC residents were born outside of the country (9.21k people).

In 2024, there were 4.55 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (111k people) in Charleston, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 24.3k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.85k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.9%

2024 Citizenship

97.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.9% of Charleston, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Charleston, SC was 97.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Charleston, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, SC

White (Non-Hispanic)
111k ± 2.15k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
24.3k ± 1.81k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
4.85k ± 931

6.06%

Hispanic Population

9.35k people

6.06% of the people in Charleston, SC are hispanic (9.35k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Charleston, SC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for South Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
65,146 ± 6,228 people
India
21,511 ± 3,594 people
Colombia
15,785 ± 3,080 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 65,146 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 21,511 and Colombia with 15,785.

Foreign-Born Population

5.97%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

9.21k people

5.38%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.18k people

As of 2024, 5.97% of Charleston, SC residents (9.21k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Charleston, SC was 5.38%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Charleston, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,628 ± 394
Gulf War (2001-)
2,315 ± 417
Gulf War (1990s)
1,536 ± 346

Charleston, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.14 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Charleston, SC.

Economy

The economy of Charleston, SC employs 84.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Charleston, SC were Health Care & Social Assistance (11,802 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (11,408 people), and Educational Services (8,240 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($101,765), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($88,139), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($74,728).

Employment

Occupations

84.4k

2024 Value

± 2,871

1.96%

1 Year growth

± 4.62%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Charleston, SC grew at a rate of 1.96%, from 82.8k employees to 84.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Charleston, SC, are Management Occupations (12,665 people), Sales & Related Occupations (9,266 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (7,079 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Charleston, SC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

84.4k

2024 Value

± 2,871

1.96%

1 Year growth

± 4.62%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Charleston, SC grew at a rate of 1.96%, from 82.8k employees to 84.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Charleston, SC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,802 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (11,408 people), and Educational Services (8,240 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Charleston, SC, though some of these residents may live in Charleston, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$64,716

Median earning men ± $2,993

$50,650

Median earning women ± $1,160

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($99,267), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($91,225), and Manufacturing ($73,755).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($73,767), Construction ($68,951), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($63,690).

Education

The student population of Charleston, SC in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 7,970 male students and 11,918 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Charleston, SC are White (3,769 and 78.1%), Black or African American (335 and 6.94%), Hispanic or Latino (277 and 5.74%), and Two or More Races (207 and 4.29%).

The largest universities in Charleston, SC by number of degrees awarded are College of Charleston (2,435 and 49.9%), Medical University of South Carolina (1,107 and 22.7%), and Citadel Military College of South Carolina (1,031 and 21.1%).

The most popular majors in Charleston, SC are General Business Administration & Management (276 and 5.66%), General Psychology (237 and 4.86%), and Law (226 and 4.63%).

The median tuition costs are $19,872 for private four year colleges, and $12,518 and $33,538 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Charleston, SC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 56.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 15.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 19,888 (40.1% men and 59.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 19,888 students enrolled in Charleston, SC, 40.1% men and 59.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 14,953 records, of which 60.3% were women and 39.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
213 degrees awarded
General Psychology
205 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
192 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Charleston, SC was General Business Administration & Management with 213 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Charleston, SC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

College of Charleston
2,435 degrees awarded
Medical University of South Carolina
1,107 degrees awarded
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
1,031 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was College of Charleston with 2,435 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,925 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Charleston, SC, which is 0.652 times less than the 2,952 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,769 degrees mean that there were 11.3 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 335 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($19,872) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,628) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($5,598) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Charleston, SC was $509,700 in 2024, which is 1.53 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $469,100 to $509,700, a 8.65% increase. The homeownership rate in Charleston, SC is 55.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Charleston, SC have an average commute time of 24.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Charleston, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$509,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,642

$37,816

Median Property Taxes

±$1,524

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Charleston, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Charleston, SC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

55.6%

Homeownership

2024

68.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 55.6% of the housing units in Charleston, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 55.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Charleston, SC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$92,414

Median Household Income

± $3,404

68k

Number of Households

± 2,366

In 2024, the median household income of the 68k households in Charleston, SC grew to $92,414 from the previous year's value of $90,038.

The following chart displays the households in Charleston, SC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Charleston, SC is from South Carolina.

0.462

2024 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.464

2023 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.296% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in South Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (66.2%)
Worked At Home (19.4%)
Carpooled (7.16%)

In 2024, 66.2% of workers in Charleston, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.4%) and those who carpooled to work (7.16%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

24.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Charleston, SC have a shorter commute time (24.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.91% of the workforce in Charleston, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Charleston, SC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Charleston, SC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Charleston, SC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Charleston, SC (18.3k out of 149k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Charleston, SC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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