CensusEasy
COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Charleston County

South Carolina · 408,235 residents · 918 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Charleston metro area
Compare
The short version

Charleston County is home to 408,235 people in South Carolina. 45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 33% nationally. The population is up 32% since 2000. That is roughly 22% ahead of the South Carolina median. 6% of residents were born outside the United States. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $334,600.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 38.3
US median: 38.8
More educated
45% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 89%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
408,235
+32%since 2000
from 309,969 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
38.3
+11%since 2000
from 34.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
918 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
283K320K358K395K433K19902000201020202024Charleston County
2024420K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.5%(22,503)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.6%(22,828)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.5%(22,523)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 195.3%(21,560)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.2%(29,384)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3415.9%(64,987)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4413.4%(54,812)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.4%(46,448)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6412.7%(51,830)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.7%(43,880)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.9%(20,177)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.8%(7,303)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$67,182
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,810 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$43,141
+102%since 2000
from $21,393 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
45.3%
+14.9 ptssince 2009
from 30.4% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
12.8%
−3.6 ptssince 2000
from 16.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information10.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade7.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services6.8%
US avg: 6.6%
Retail trade6.6%
US avg: 10%
Finance & insurance4.5%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration3.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.2%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$334,600
+89%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $117,700 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,228
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $605 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
60.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2000
from 61.0% in 2000
39.3% rent
Persons per household
2.42 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.40 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
5.0
+3%since 2009
from 4.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic60.8%(188,542)
Black34.3%(106,337)
Hispanic / Latino2.4%(7,434)
Asian1.1%(3,410)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic64.6%(263,560)
Black22.5%(91,746)
Hispanic / Latino7.2%(29,280)
Asian1.8%(7,461)
Other2.5%(10,158)
Segregation Score
45
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.6%(10,717)
Central American0.8%(3,281)
Puerto Rican0.6%(2,254)
South American0.5%(1,988)
Guatemalan0.4%(1,431)
Honduran0.2%(791)
Spaniard0.2%(653)
Salvadoran0.1%(572)
Venezuelan0.1%(480)
Cuban0.1%(463)
Ecuadorian0.1%(361)
Colombian0.1%(323)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.1%(310)
Peruvian0.1%(233)
Panamanian0%(201)
Dominican0%(161)
Chilean0%(150)
Nicaraguan0%(145)
Uruguayan0%(46)
Bolivian0%(27)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(1,860)
Chinese0.4%(1,814)
Filipino0.3%(1,053)
Vietnamese0.2%(661)
Korean0.1%(249)
Japanese0.1%(205)
Pakistani0%(203)
Burmese0%(124)
Taiwanese0%(72)
Thai0%(72)
Hmong0%(47)
Laotian0%(27)
+ 2 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0%(14)
Okinawan0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(77)
Samoan0%(6)
Ancestry
American16.8%(68,643)
English10.8%(44,172)
German9.5%(38,752)
Irish9.2%(37,447)
Italian3.8%(15,556)
Scottish2.8%(11,567)
French1.9%(7,660)
Polish1.9%(7,617)
Scotch-Irish1.7%(6,766)
British0.8%(3,360)
Dutch0.7%(2,845)
+ 48 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.7%(2,713)
Welsh0.6%(2,467)
Russian0.6%(2,421)
French Canadian0.5%(2,022)
Norwegian0.5%(1,893)
Hungarian0.4%(1,760)
Greek0.4%(1,719)
West Indian0.4%(1,706)
Jamaican0.3%(1,104)
Czech0.2%(972)
Portuguese0.2%(952)
Ukrainian0.2%(842)
Danish0.2%(752)
Swiss0.2%(720)
Austrian0.2%(713)
Lithuanian0.2%(635)
Lebanese0.2%(618)
Canadian0.1%(581)
Brazilian0.1%(528)
Romanian0.1%(480)
Finnish0.1%(423)
Slovak0.1%(402)
Croatian0.1%(342)
Belgian0.1%(270)
Armenian0.1%(260)
Iranian0.1%(205)
Egyptian0%(185)
Kenyan0%(171)
Turkish0%(167)
Israeli0%(139)
Latvian0%(96)
Syrian0%(94)
Serbian0%(78)
Slovene0%(77)
Moroccan0%(70)
Arab0%(56)
Nigerian0%(56)
Barbadian0%(50)
Jordanian0%(46)
Ethiopian0%(46)
Ghanaian0%(36)
Haitian0%(33)
Iraqi0%(17)
Bulgarian0%(14)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
45.3%
+14.6 ptssince 2000
from 30.7% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
92.4%
+10.9 ptssince 2000
from 81.5% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
16.7%
+5.6 ptssince 2000
from 11.0% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.2 min
+70%since 2000
from 14.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
78.2%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 79.7% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
6.5%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.7%
−5.1 ptssince 2011
from 8.7% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
65.4%
−0.9 ptssince 2011
from 66.3% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
45.3%
+7.7 ptssince 2009
from 37.6% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
51.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
5.8%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
10.3%
−6.0 ptssince 2013
from 16.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
93.2%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
84.6%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married36.7%(61,982)
Married52.2%(88,092)
Widowed2.4%(3,984)
Divorced8.7%(14,670)
Women 15+
Never married32.8%(59,999)
Married47.1%(86,083)
Widowed8%(14,590)
Divorced12.2%(22,270)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
10.3%
−6.0 ptssince 2013
from 16.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
57.5%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
15.6%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
17.9%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
13.1%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.8%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
72.7%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
29.6%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)23%(6,796)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)26.6%(7,853)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era34.3%(10,125)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6.5%(1,916)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II1.8%(537)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 29,556 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Charleston County

Madison County
Pop 433,516
Collier County
Pop 417,131
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region
Pop 463,349
Washoe County
Pop 509,386
Places similar to Charleston County
Head to head

Compare Charleston County to nearby counties

CHARLESTON COUNTY VS
Berkeley County
Income$84,358+26%
Home value$310,300−7%
Population274,666−37%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHARLESTON COUNTY VS
Dorchester County
Income$78,198+16%
Home value$329,300−2%
Population178,397−59%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHARLESTON COUNTY VS
Colleton County
Income$51,114−24%
Home value$162,500−51%
Population39,382−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHARLESTON COUNTY VS
Beaufort County
Income$86,573+29%
Home value$455,600+36%
Population204,433−53%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Charleston County, South Carolina?

Charleston County, South Carolina has about 408,235 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Charleston County, South Carolina?

The typical household in Charleston County, South Carolina earns about $67,182 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Charleston County, South Carolina expensive?

In Charleston County, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $334,600, and the typical rent is about $1,228 a month.

How educated are people in Charleston County, South Carolina?

About 45.3% of adults age 25 and over in Charleston County, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Charleston County, South Carolina?

About 12.8% of people in Charleston County, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Charleston County, South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Charleston County, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 113,196 residents, a change of about 38 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →