Charleston is a metro area of 46,777 people. The typical home is worth $127,400, having risen by half since 2000. The foreign-born share is 3%. About 27% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Median rent is $780 a month. The average commute runs 18 minutes.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $56,478, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
27% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Charleston
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$106,563 → $127,400(+20%)US over the same years: +67%
White share96.3% → 88.0%(−8.4 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree18.7% → 26.9%(+8.2 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Among the 28 metro and micro areas based in Illinois
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, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)24.6%(534)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.3%(463)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33.3%(724)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.3%(93)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.2%(26)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 2,171 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
Over time
Charleston, decade by decade
Charleston population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
51,644
$57,969
$106,563
18.7%
8.9
2000
53,196
$58,814
$128,973
20.8%
13.1
2010
53,873
$52,446
$128,752
23.3%
19.9
2020
46,863
$56,252
$127,385
26.1%
31.8
2024
46,777
$56,478
$127,400
26.9%
27.8
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
