Charleston, SC

Census Place

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2023 Population
152,014
1.37% 1-year growth
US Senator
Lindsey Graham
Republican Party
US Senator
Tim Scott
Republican Party
2023 Median Age
36.1
0.551% 1-year decrease
2023 Poverty Rate
12%
4.96% 1-year decrease
2023 Median Household Income
$90,038
7.33% 1-year growth
2023 Median Property Value
$469,100
6.88% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
82,809
1.39% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Charleston, SC had a population of 152k people with a median age of 36.1 and a median household income of $90,038. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Charleston, SC grew from 149,960 to 152,014, a 1.37% increase and its median household income grew from $83,891 to $90,038, a 7.33% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, SC are White (Non-Hispanic) (70.6%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (17.3%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.46%), White (Hispanic) (2.3%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (2.17%).

None of the households in Charleston, SC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.4% of the residents in Charleston, SC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Charleston, SC are College of Charleston (2,414 degrees awarded in 2022), Citadel Military College of South Carolina (1,158 degrees), and Medical University of South Carolina (1,084 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Charleston, SC was $469,100, and the homeownership rate was 55.6%.

Most people in Charleston, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Charleston, SC was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: The Old Market

Population & Diversity

Charleston, SC is home to a population of 152k people, from which 97.4% are citizens. As of N/A, N/A% of Charleston, SC residents were born outside of the country (N/A people).

In 2023, there were 4.09 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (107k people) in Charleston, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 26.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 5.26k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

97.4%
2023 Citizenship
97.6%
2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 97.4% of Charleston, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Charleston, SC was 97.6%, 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.

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Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, SC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    107k ± 2.16k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    26.2k ± 1.86k
  3. Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
    5.26k ± 802
5.89%
Hispanic Population
8.95k people

In 2023, there were 4.09 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (107k people) in Charleston, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 26.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 5.26k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

5.89% of the people in Charleston, SC are hispanic (8.95k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Charleston, SC as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Charleston, SC.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    58,419 ± 5,900 people
  2. India
    18,341 ± 3,319 people
  3. Honduras
    13,844 ± 2,885 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Charleston, SC was Mexico, the natal country of 58,419 Charleston, SC residents, followed by India with 18,341 and Honduras with 13,844.

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Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    2,537 ± 425
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    2,324 ± 385
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    1,492 ± 321

Charleston, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.09 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of Charleston, SC employs 82.8k people. The largest industries in Charleston, SC are N/A, and the highest paying industries are Management of Companies & Enterprises ($100,859), Utilities ($90,824), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($83,616).

Occupations

82.8k
2023 Value
± 2,700
1.39%
1 Year growth
± 4.51%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Charleston, SC grew at a rate of 1.39%, from 81.7k employees to 82.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Charleston, SC, are Management Occupations (12,084 people), Sales & Related Occupations (9,406 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,797 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Charleston, SC.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

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Employment by Industries

82.8k
2023 Value
± 2,700
1.39%
1 Year growth
± 4.51%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Charleston, SC grew at a rate of 1.39%, from 81.7k employees to 82.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Charleston, SC, are N/A. 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.

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.
Y-Axis
2.54%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.26M people employed in South Carolina. This represents a 2.54% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Carolina.

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Education

The largest universities in Charleston, SC by number of degrees awarded are College of Charleston (2,414 and NaNk%), Citadel Military College of South Carolina (1,158 and NaNk%), and Medical University of South Carolina (1,084 and NaNk%).

The most popular majors in Charleston, SC are General Business (285 and NaNk%), General Business Administration & Management (214 and NaNk%), and General Psychology (210 and NaNk%).

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2022 in Charleston, SC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 77.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 15.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 18,625 (41.2% men and 58.8% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2022 there were 18,625 students enrolled in Charleston, SC, 41.2% men and 58.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 14,197 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

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Concentrations

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Charleston, SC was N/A with N/A degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. 2,414 degrees awarded
  2. 1,158 degrees awarded
  3. 1,084 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was College of Charleston with 2,414 degrees awarded.

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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.

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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 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,325) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($4,703) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.
Measure

In 2022, NaNM% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while NaNM% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.
Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were N/A.

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Charleston, SC was $469,100 in 2023, which is 1.55 times larger than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $438,900 to $469,100, a 6.88% increase. The homeownership rate in Charleston, SC is 55.6%, which is approximately the same as the national average of N/A%.

People in Charleston, SC have an average commute time of 23.8 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.

Property

$469,100
Median Property Value 2023
±$10,153
$36,929
Median Property Taxes
±$1,453

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 N/A range.

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

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Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.
Race/Ethnicity

The following map shows all of the places in Charleston, SC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

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Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$90,038
Median Household Income
± $4,110
66.4k
Number of Households
± 2,286

In 2023, the median household income of the 66.4k households in Charleston, SC grew to $90,038 from the previous year's value of $83,891.

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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Charleston, SC is from Charleston, SC.
N/A Wage GINI in N/A
  1. N/A
  2. N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Charleston, SC across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023
  1. Drove Alone (68.1%)
  2. Worked At Home (17.6%)
  3. Carpooled (6.53%)

In 2023, 68.1% of workers in Charleston, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.6%) and those who carpooled to work (6.53%).

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.

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Commute Time

23.8 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Charleston, SC have a shorter commute time (23.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, N/A% 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.

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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.

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Poverty & Diversity

12% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Charleston, SC (17.5k out of 146k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. 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.

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Health

93.6% of the population of Charleston, SC has health coverage, with 54.1% on employee plans, 8.59% on Medicaid, 11.5% on Medicare, 17.3% on non-group plans, and 1.94% on military or VA plans.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.3% under 18 years, 29% between 18 and 34 years, 35.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.1% were men and 53.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

6.44%
Uninsured
54.1%
Employer Coverage
8.59%
Medicaid
11.5%
Medicare
17.3%
Non-Group
1.94%
Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Charleston, SC declined by 1.4% from 6.53% to 6.44%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Charleston, SC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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