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METRO AREA

Charleston Metro

Charleston-North Charleston, SC · 3 counties · 889,263 residents (2025 est.) · 2,590.18 sq mi
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The short version

Charleston has roughly average household income, with a median household income of $85,207. The metro area has grown rapidly, with population up 52% since 2000. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $404,179. It ranks in the top 5% of US metro areas for household income.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
40% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 115%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

834,267
+52%since 2000
from 549,033 in 2000
1990 – 2025
322 / sq mi
+52%since 2000
from 212 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
38.3
+13%since 2000
from 33.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:889,263 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 19902024
474K572K671K769K867K1990201020202024Charleston
2024834K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.8%(48,632)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.8%(48,695)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.3%(52,265)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196%(50,362)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.1%(50,941)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.8%(123,390)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.3%(119,268)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.9%(99,444)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.5%(104,220)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.1%(84,617)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.7%(39,338)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(13,095)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

$85,207
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,322 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
$48,581
+146%since 2000
from $19,772 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
55.2%
+25.3 ptssince 2009
from 29.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
10.9%
−3.1 ptssince 2000
from 14.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
0.467
+3%since 2010
from 0.452 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade9.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade7.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance6.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

$404,179
+115%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $103,401 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
$1,599
+49%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $587 in 2000
US average: $1,442
69.4%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 66.9% in 2000
30.6% rent
10.8%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 14.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
22.1%
−9.4 ptssince 2009
from 31.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
49.1%
+7.0 ptssince 2009
from 42.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
4.7
+18%since 2009
from 4.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
91
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Charleston on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic64%(351,434)
Black30.6%(168,143)
Hispanic / Latino2.4%(13,091)
Asian1.3%(7,123)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic62.4%(520,520)
Black23.1%(192,815)
Hispanic / Latino7.8%(64,788)
Asian2.1%(17,148)
Other4.7%(38,996)
68
+9%since 2009
from 63 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
35
−4%since 2020
from 36 in 2020
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
Mexican3.4%(28,653)
Central American1.2%(9,668)
Puerto Rican1.1%(9,200)
South American0.9%(7,763)
Honduran0.4%(3,260)
Cuban0.3%(2,822)
Colombian0.3%(2,244)
Venezuelan0.3%(2,243)
Guatemalan0.3%(2,186)
Spaniard0.2%(1,849)
Salvadoran0.2%(1,642)
Nicaraguan0.2%(1,404)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.2%(1,282)
Ecuadorian0.1%(1,089)
Panamanian0.1%(1,003)
Peruvian0.1%(671)
Argentine0.1%(520)
Bolivian0%(416)
Chilean0%(346)
Uruguayan0%(145)
Asian origin
Filipino0.7%(5,493)
Asian Indian0.4%(3,570)
Chinese0.3%(2,361)
Vietnamese0.3%(2,165)
Korean0.1%(1,084)
Japanese0.1%(552)
Cambodian0%(261)
Pakistani0%(200)
Taiwanese0%(181)
Laotian0%(167)
Burmese0%(91)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(76)
Hmong0%(51)
Nepalese0%(49)
Uzbek0%(26)
Kazakh0%(16)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(222)
Samoan0%(207)
Chuukese0%(15)
Ancestry
English13.5%(112,372)
German10.5%(87,515)
Irish9.9%(82,503)
American7.5%(62,723)
Italian4.2%(35,170)
Scottish2.4%(19,696)
French2.1%(17,458)
Polish1.9%(15,791)
Scotch-Irish1.4%(11,319)
Norwegian0.6%(5,162)
Swedish0.6%(4,951)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.5%(4,522)
British0.5%(4,197)
Welsh0.5%(3,986)
Greek0.4%(3,661)
Arab0.4%(3,660)
French Canadian0.4%(3,368)
Russian0.4%(3,020)
West Indian0.3%(2,795)
Czech0.3%(2,298)
Hungarian0.3%(2,236)
Lebanese0.2%(1,998)
Brazilian0.2%(1,954)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,858)
Portuguese0.2%(1,856)
Swiss0.2%(1,519)
Danish0.2%(1,473)
Jamaican0.2%(1,416)
Austrian0.2%(1,396)
Croatian0.1%(1,010)
Slovak0.1%(991)
Finnish0.1%(961)
Lithuanian0.1%(869)
Turkish0.1%(758)
Canadian0.1%(681)
Nigerian0.1%(650)
Armenian0.1%(633)
Australian0.1%(576)
Romanian0.1%(556)
Serbian0.1%(534)
Kenyan0.1%(533)
Haitian0.1%(529)
Moroccan0%(402)
Egyptian0%(358)
Belgian0%(315)
Iranian0%(312)
Syrian0%(304)
Slovene0%(279)
Ethiopian0%(272)
Ghanaian0%(111)
Israeli0%(109)
Latvian0%(102)
Bulgarian0%(82)
Guyanese0%(43)
Iraqi0%(27)
Jordanian0%(21)
Barbadian0%(14)
RANKED:Largest English population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

40.5%
+15.6 ptssince 2000
from 24.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.5%
+11.2 ptssince 2000
from 81.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
15.4%
+6.8 ptssince 2000
from 8.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

27.7 min
+72%since 2000
from 16.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
73.0%
−8.0 ptssince 2009
from 81.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
8.2%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
0.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
14.8%
+11.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
1.6%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
0.5%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
4.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

3.7%
−5.4 ptssince 2011
from 9.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
65.8%
−1.0 ptssince 2011
from 66.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
12.7%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
44.1%
−19.5 ptssince 2009
from 63.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

48.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.8% in 2009
51.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.2% in 2009
6.5%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
10.2%
−37.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
12.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2012
from 11.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
8.9%
−74.6 ptssince 2013
from 83.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
89.7%
+13.4 ptssince 2017
from 76.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
91.0%
−2.2 ptssince 2016
from 93.2% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
5.5%
+1.5 ptssince 2016
from 4.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.7%(118,406)
Married53.5%(177,442)
Widowed2.6%(8,684)
Divorced8.2%(27,331)
Women 15+
Never married30.6%(108,038)
Married49%(173,021)
Widowed8%(28,231)
Divorced12.3%(43,522)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
In this metro

Largest cities

The 30 most populous of 35 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

3 component counties

Drill deeper

Metros similar to Charleston

Head to head

Compare Charleston side by side

Frequently asked

How many people live in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

Charleston-North Charleston, SC has about 834,267 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

The typical household in Charleston-North Charleston, SC earns about $85,207 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Charleston-North Charleston, SC expensive?

In Charleston-North Charleston, SC, the median home is worth about $404,179, and the typical rent is about $1,599 a month.

How educated are people in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

About 40.5% of adults age 25 and over in Charleston-North Charleston, SC hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

About 10.9% of people in Charleston-North Charleston, SC live below the federal poverty line.

Has Charleston-North Charleston, SC grown since 1990?

Yes, Charleston-North Charleston, SC has grown since 1990. The population has added about 327,392 residents, a change of about 65 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Charleston-North Charleston, SC: population, income & housing data · CensusEasy