Charleston, South Carolina
Area Profile
154,338 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Charleston, in Charleston County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 16 sourcesCharleston ranks in the top 1% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.2% and median household income of $92,414.
In the public schools here, 55% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.0 students for every teacher.
Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 1,446 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 36% on the prior year.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 3.2%, lower than in 89% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment grew 3.6% over the past year, to 92,108 employed residents.
58% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 93% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsCharleston County, SC’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $104,126 | 85th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftCharleston County, SC’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $76,482 | 58th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$3,4042024 ACS 5-Year | $92,414 | Top 23%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,1702024 ACS 5-Year | $59,875 | Top 10%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.1% | Top 47%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 25.9 min | Top 46%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 58.3% | Top 7%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 66.2% | 20th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 92,108 | Top 44%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +6.0% | Top 4%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | +3.6% | Top 1%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 95,160 | 56th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 85.5% | Top 22%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageCharleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $64,260 | Bottom 29%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageCharleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $49,150 | Bottom 35%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.7% | 82nd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.6% | Top 23%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 3.2% | Top 11%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 19.4% | 85th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Charleston-North Charleston, SC
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 11,930 | $34,090 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 10,850 | $28,500 |
| Registered Nurses | 9,760 | $92,800 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 9,580 | $19,340 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 8,100 | $38,090 |
| Cashiers | 7,960 | $30,130 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
55% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 59% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 14.0 students for every full-time teacher across 36 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ashley High | Charleston 01 | 2,069 | 16.6 | 65% | 75% |
| James Island Charter High · charter | Charleston 01 | 1,612 | 15.4 | 83% | 87% |
| C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific Art | Charleston 01 | 1,299 | 13.8 | 37% | 46% |
| Orange Grove Charter School · charter | Charleston 01 | 1,170 | 15.6 | 72% | 74% |
| Daniel Island School | Berkeley 01 | 1,151 | 16.2 | 79% | 81% |
| Devon Forest Elementary | Berkeley 01 | 925 | 15.4 | 44% | 39% |
| Camp Road Middle | Charleston 01 | 901 | 17.0 | 54% | 57% |
| Stiles Point Elementary | Charleston 01 | 866 | 17.3 | 75% | 72% |
| Angel Oak Elementary | Charleston 01 | 828 | 14.5 | 31% | 42% |
| Philip Simmons High | Berkeley 01 | 797 | 14.5 | 62% | 72% |
| St. Andrew's School of Math and Science | Charleston 01 | 769 | 15.1 | 66% | 60% |
| Springfield Elementary | Charleston 01 | 679 | 13.9 | 36% | 35% |
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against South Carolina’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 1% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 101.1, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area is up 62% over five years, and up 4.7% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,214 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.43% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $2,012, some 17% above the $1,722 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $2,012 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $80,500 a year, about 87% of the median household income here of $92,414.
The typical renter household here spends 33% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,722 a month.
A median home at $509,700 costs 3.9 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $131,463, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
Prices here run about 1% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against Charleston’s median household income of $92,414, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area’s figure2023 | 101.1 | Top 47%of 3,700 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +4.7% | 75th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +61.6% | 97th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +129.9% | 95th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 3.9 | Bottom 19%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 55.6% | 15th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1,2322024 ACS 5-Year | 77,417 | 99th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,836 | Bottom 25%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $2,503 | Bottom 35%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $2,012 | Bottom 31%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$332024 ACS 5-Year | $1,722 | Bottom 14%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$17,6422024 ACS 5-Year | $509,700 | 89th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$862024 ACS 5-Year | $2,214 | 60th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$4,5172024 ACS 5-Year | $131,463 | Top 11%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.43% | 7th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 32.7% | Bottom 28%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±5012024 ACS 5-Year | 2,545 | 99th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.3% | 76th percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.8% | 59th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±8172024 ACS 5-Year | 9,390 | 99th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 4% since 2020, reaching 157,665 in 2024.
Permitting has turned upward after moving the other way the year before: 1,311 units authorized in 2025, up 15% on the prior year.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 157,665 residents in 2024, up 0.9% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
Federal tax returns show Charleston County, which contains Charleston, gained about 0.6% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $104,126, above the $76,482 of households that moved out.
At 9.4 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Berkeley County, SC 3,878 people · 14% of arrivals
- Dorchester County, SC 2,637 people · 9.8% of arrivals
- Mecklenburg County, NC 546 people · 2.0% of arrivals
- Richland County, SC 443 people · 1.7% of arrivals
- Greenville County, SC 388 people · 1.4% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Berkeley County, SC 5,708 people · 23% of departures
- Dorchester County, SC 4,144 people · 17% of departures
- Greenville County, SC 498 people · 2.0% of departures
- Richland County, SC 406 people · 1.6% of departures
- Mecklenburg County, NC 393 people · 1.6% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Charleston County, SC. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 44°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 44.3 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 43, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 58 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 44.3" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 44°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 88°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 43 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 32°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane, earthquake and inland flooding, with hurricane alone responsible for 56% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: ice storm, wildfire, lightning, inland flooding, cold wave, winter weather, heat wave, strong wind, tornado, hail, landslide, drought, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Charleston's police department reported 279 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,612.
Charleston County records 6.4 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 13.7 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 20.7 per 100,000 residents in Charleston County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Charleston’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Charleston (Charleston County) rather than Charleston itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Charleston AFB/Intl at 6 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 92.8% | Top 35%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 6 mi | Top 13%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 3 | Bottom 20%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 4.1% | Top 31%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston AFB/Intl | CHS | 6 mi | 9,001 ft |
| Myrtle Beach Intl | MYR | 84 mi | 9,503 ft |
| Savannah/Hilton Head Intl | SAV | 86 mi | 9,351 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
Customize your score
What matters to you?
Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.
Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.
Where Charleston ranks
Top-ten placements in AreaProfile’s standing rankings- #1Strongest US Job Markets of 50
- #9Highest Development Momentum of 50
Every ranking is a standing calculation over all published profiles, not an editorial selection. Each one states its cohort, its inputs and what it excludes.
Other cities in Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Charleston | Charleston County | 119,913 | 59 | North Charleston vs Charleston |
| Mount Pleasant | Charleston County | 93,993 | 68 | Mount Pleasant vs Charleston |
| Summerville | Dorchester County | 51,654 | 67 | Summerville vs Charleston |
| Goose Creek | Berkeley County | 48,078 | 63 | |
| Hanahan | Berkeley County | 21,452 | 64 | |
| Ladson | Charleston County | 16,140 | 62 | |
| Moncks Corner | Berkeley County | 15,485 | 59 | |
| James Island | Charleston County | 12,198 | 66 |
Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put Charleston side by side with a similar place.
Moving to Charleston from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Charleston
7 ZIP areasEvery ZIP area in Charleston with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Charleston closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.