James Island, South Carolina
Area Profile
12,198 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for James Island, in Charleston County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 15 sourcesJames Island ranks in the top 1% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.4% and median household income of $104,217. The unemployment rate is published for Charleston County, SC, which contains James Island, rather than for James Island alone.
In the public schools here, 54% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.1 students for every teacher. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Charleston County, SC, which contains James Island, rather than for James Island alone.
3,351 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 8% of the prior year — steady rather than turning. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Charleston County, SC, which contains James Island, rather than for James Island alone.
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 across Charleston County, SC, which contains James Island, is 3.4%, lower than in 84% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Charleston County, SC, which contains James Island, grew 3.6% over the past year, to 238,721 employed residents.
49% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 88% 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 ±$7,9692024 ACS 5-Year | $104,217 | Top 16%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$7,4502024 ACS 5-Year | $52,756 | Top 15%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.9% | Top 28%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±2.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 24.4 min | Top 38%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 49.5% | Top 12%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 73.1% | 36th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentCharleston County, SC’s figureJuly 2026 | 238,721 | Top 30%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Charleston County, SC’s figureJuly 2026 | +6.3% | Top 3%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Charleston County, SC’s figureJuly 2026 | +3.6% | Top 1%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceCharleston County, SC’s figureJuly 2026 | 247,012 | 70th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 81.8% | Top 36%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 ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.2% | 75th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Charleston County, SC’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.4% | Top 32%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateCharleston County, SC’s figureJuly 2026 | 3.4% | Top 16%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 18.2% | 83rd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
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.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Charleston County, SC, which contains this city.
54% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 57% in reading, across the schools here that reported results. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Charleston County, SC, which contains James Island, rather than for James Island alone.
There are 14.1 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places. The student-teacher ratio is published for Charleston County, SC, which contains James Island, rather than for James Island alone.
The proficiency and staffing figures above are for Charleston County, SC: too few schools in James Island reported a usable figure on their own to weight one honestly.
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 $1,784 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.35% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $2,130, some 26% above the $1,695 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $2,130 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $85,200 a year, about 82% of the median household income here of $104,217.
The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,695 a month.
A median home at $508,600 costs 4.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $111,268, 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 James Island’s median household income of $104,217, 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 ±0.62024 ACS 5-Year | 4.6 | Bottom 12%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 87.5% | 74th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±3212024 ACS 5-Year | 4,971 | 88th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,940 | Bottom 21%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $2,650 | Bottom 30%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $2,130 | Bottom 28%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$7032024 ACS 5-Year | $1,695 | Bottom 14%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$43,6832024 ACS 5-Year | $508,600 | 89th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1062024 ACS 5-Year | $1,784 | 50th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$11,3272024 ACS 5-Year | $111,268 | Top 20%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.35% | 3rd percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±11%2024 ACS 5-Year | 27.6% | Top 46%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1322024 ACS 5-Year | 121 | 91st percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.4% | 72nd percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.7% | 31st percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±1872024 ACS 5-Year | 305 | 84th 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 12,451 in 2024.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 12,451 residents in 2024, up 1.1% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
Federal tax returns show Charleston County, which contains James Island, 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 8.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Charleston County, SC, which contains James Island, rather than for James Island alone.
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.
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and James Island, SC is not one. This is the figure for Charleston County, SC, which contains this city.
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.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
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.
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 James Island (Charleston County) rather than James Island itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read 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.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. Either no municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — or its department did not report every month of the year. Either way there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- 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 13 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 88.7% | Bottom 45%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 13 mi | Top 35%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 ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.4% | Bottom 45%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston AFB/Intl | CHS | 13 mi | 9,001 ft |
| Savannah/Hilton Head Intl | SAV | 85 mi | 9,351 ft |
| Myrtle Beach Intl | MYR | 87 mi | 9,503 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.
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Other cities in Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | Charleston County | 154,338 | 68 | Charleston vs James Island |
| North Charleston | Charleston County | 119,913 | 59 | North Charleston vs James Island |
| Mount Pleasant | Charleston County | 93,993 | 68 | Mount Pleasant vs James Island |
| Summerville | Dorchester County | 51,654 | 67 | |
| 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 |
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 James Island side by side with a similar place.
Moving to James Island 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 |
| 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 Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| 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.