North Charleston, SC

Census Place

2024 Population

119,913

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

34.6

0.875% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

14.4%

7.06% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$62,956

0.266% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$302,200

Population & Diversity

North Charleston, SC is home to a population of 120k people, from which 92.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 10.9% of North Charleston, SC residents were born outside of the country (13k people).

In 2024, there were 1.09 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (49.5k people) in North Charleston, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 45.5k White (Non-Hispanic) and 6.43k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.9%

2024 Citizenship

92.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.9% of North Charleston, SC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in North Charleston, SC was 92.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in North Charleston, SC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
49.5k ± 2.22k
White (Non-Hispanic)
45.5k ± 2.13k
Other (Hispanic)
6.43k ± 1.32k

12.9%

Hispanic Population

15.5k people

12.9% of the people in North Charleston, SC are hispanic (15.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in North 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

10.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

13k people

12.2%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

14.3k people

As of 2024, 10.9% of North Charleston, SC residents (13k 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 North Charleston, SC was 12.2%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
3,784 ± 649
Vietnam
1,668 ± 341
Gulf War (1990s)
1,520 ± 347

North Charleston, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.27 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of North Charleston, SC employs 60.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in North Charleston, SC were Health Care & Social Assistance (8,072 people), Retail Trade (6,734 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (6,111 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($71,203), Information ($58,107), and Manufacturing ($55,803).

Employment

Occupations

60.8k

2024 Value

± 2,578

3.66%

1 Year growth

± 5.71%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in North Charleston, SC grew at a rate of 3.66%, from 58.7k employees to 60.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in North Charleston, SC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,133 people), Management Occupations (5,794 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (5,652 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of North 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

60.8k

2024 Value

± 2,578

3.66%

1 Year growth

± 5.71%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in North Charleston, SC grew at a rate of 3.66%, from 58.7k employees to 60.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in North Charleston, SC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (8,072 people), Retail Trade (6,734 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (6,111 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of North Charleston, SC, though some of these residents may live in North Charleston, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,916

Median earning men ± $2,329

$37,378

Median earning women ± $1,966

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($67,431), Manufacturing ($60,032), and Public Administration ($59,712).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($49,081), Manufacturing ($44,427), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($42,883).

Education

The student population of North Charleston, SC in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 6,396 male students and 11,487 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in North Charleston, SC are White (2,066 and 50.3%), Black or African American (1,122 and 27.3%), Unknown (420 and 10.2%), and Hispanic or Latino (216 and 5.26%).

The largest universities in North Charleston, SC by number of degrees awarded are Trident Technical College (2,921 and 70.8%), Charleston Southern University (728 and 17.6%), and Paul Mitchell the School-Charleston (205 and 4.97%).

The most popular majors in North Charleston, SC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (630 and 15.3%), Registered Nursing (231 and 5.6%), and Pre-Nursing Studies (204 and 4.94%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $31,870.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in North Charleston, SC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 96.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 18.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 17,883 (35.8% men and 64.2% 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 17,883 students enrolled in North Charleston, SC, 35.8% men and 64.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 9,285 records, of which 61.2% were women and 38.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
566 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
162 degrees awarded
General Business
106 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in North Charleston, SC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 566 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Trident Technical College
2,921 degrees awarded
Charleston Southern University
728 degrees awarded
Paul Mitchell the School-Charleston
205 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Trident Technical College with 2,921 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,389 men were awarded degrees from institutions in North Charleston, SC, which is 0.507 times less than the 2,738 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 2,066 degrees mean that there were 1.84 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1,122 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 ($31,870) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private for-profit, 2-year ($1,800) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private for-profit, 2-year ($2,000) 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 North Charleston, SC was $302,200 in 2024, which is 0.908 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $267,700 to $302,200, a 12.9% increase. The homeownership rate in North Charleston, SC is 49.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in North Charleston, SC have an average commute time of 24.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in North Charleston, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$302,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,654

$24,483

Median Property Taxes

±$1,470

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 North Charleston, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

49.8%

Homeownership

2024

71.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 49.8% of the housing units in North Charleston, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 48.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in North 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.

$62,956

Median Household Income

± $3,840

49.2k

Number of Households

± 2,210

In 2024, the median household income of the 49.2k households in North Charleston, SC grew to $62,956 from the previous year's value of $62,789.

The following chart displays the households in North 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for North 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 (74%)
Carpooled (11.7%)
Worked At Home (9.69%)

In 2024, 74% of workers in North Charleston, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.7%) and those who worked at home (9.69%).

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

24.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in North Charleston, SC have a shorter commute time (24.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.06% of the workforce in North Charleston, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in North 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 North Charleston, SC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in North Charleston, SC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in North Charleston, SC (16.7k out of 116k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 18 - 24.

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