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 Employed Population

82,809

1.39% 1-year growth

About

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).

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

Photo by Harvey Craft

United States South Carolina Berkeley County, SC Charleston County, SC Charleston-North Charleston, SC Berkeley (North & East) County--Moncks Corner City PUMA, SC Berkeley (South) County--Goose Creek &portions of Charleston Cities PUMA, SC Charleston (West) County--Kiawah Island & Charleston Cities PUMA, SC Charleston (North) County--North Charleston City PUMA, SC Charleston (Northeast) County--Mount Pleasant Town PUMA, SC

Population & Diversity

Charleston, SC is home to a population of 152k people, from which 97.4% are citizens. As of 2023, 5.38% of Charleston, SC residents were born outside of the country (8.18k 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.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.4%

2023 Citizenship

97.6%

2022 Citizenship

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)
107k ± 2.16k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
26.2k ± 1.86k
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
5.26k ± 802

5.89%

Hispanic Population

8.95k people

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.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
58,419 ± 5,900 people
India
18,341 ± 3,319 people
Honduras
13,844 ± 2,885 people

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

Foreign-Born Population

5.38%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.18k people

5.33%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

7.99k people

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
2,537 ± 425
Gulf War (2001-)
2,324 ± 385
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.

Economy

The economy of Charleston, SC employs 82.8k people. The largest industries in Charleston, SC are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,596 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (10,952 people), and Educational Services (8,400 people), and the highest paying industries are Management of Companies & Enterprises ($100,859), Utilities ($90,824), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($83,616).

Males in South Carolina have an average income that is 1.37 times higher than the average income of females, which is $52,636. The income inequality in South Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.464, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

82.8k

2023 Value

± 2,700

1.39%

1 Year growth

± 4.51%

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.

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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Industries

Employment by Industries

82.8k

2023 Value

± 2,700

1.39%

1 Year growth

± 4.51%

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Charleston, SC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,596 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (10,952 people), and Educational Services (8,400 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

N/A

Median earning men ± N/A

N/A

Median earning women ± N/A

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($99,574), Wholesale Trade ($87,250), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($87,005).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($71,150), Construction ($68,822), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,444).

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.

Education

In 2022, universities in Charleston, SC awarded 4,903 degrees. The student population of Charleston, SC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 7,666 male students and 10,959 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Charleston, SC are White (3,760 and 77.4%), followed by Black or African American (352 and 7.25%), Hispanic or Latino (319 and 6.57%), and Two or More Races (169 and 3.48%).

The largest universities in Charleston, SC by number of degrees awarded are College of Charleston (2,414 and 49.2%), Citadel Military College of South Carolina (1,158 and 23.6%), and Medical University of South Carolina (1,084 and 22.1%).

The most popular majors in Charleston, SC are General Business (285 and 5.81%), General Business Administration & Management (214 and 4.36%), and General Psychology (210 and 4.28%).

The median tuition costs in Charleston, SC are $19,872 for private four year colleges, and $12,518 and $30,857 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

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.

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.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
209 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
181 degrees awarded
General Psychology
178 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Charleston, SC was Registered Nursing with 209 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
2,414 degrees awarded
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
1,158 degrees awarded
Medical University of South Carolina
1,084 degrees awarded

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

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 2,049 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Charleston, SC, which is 0.718 times less than the 2,854 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,760 degrees mean that there were 10.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 352 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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.83% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.688% of women were in the same situation.

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

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.18M), Some college (892k), and Bachelors Degree (705k).

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.

Housing & Living

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.

Housing

Rent vs Own

N/A%

Homeownership

N/A

68.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

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

Equity

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).

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

N/A

Number of Households

± N/A

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.

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.463

2021 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.334% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (68.1%)
Worked At Home (17.6%)
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.

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, 1.83% 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% 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

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.

Primary care physicians in Charleston County, SC see 801 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.125% increase from the previous year (800 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 883 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 245 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Charleston County, SC.

801 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Charleston County, SC

Primary care physicians in Charleston County, SC see an average of 801 patients per year. This represents a 0.125% increase from the previous year (800 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Charleston County, SC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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.

Uninsured People

6.44%

Uninsured

54.1%

Employer Coverage

8.59%

Medicaid

11.5%

Medicare

17.3%

Non-Group

1.94%

Military or VA

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.

Keep Exploring

South Carolina

State

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

MSA

Charleston County, SC