Census place 4513330

Charleston

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Charleston city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Charleston.

According to the 2025 estimate, Charleston has a population of 159,423 and 1,382 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 43 covered South Carolina places are: median home value is $509,700, above the comparison median of $295,100; median gross rent is $1,722, above the comparison median of $1,263; and median household income is $92,414, above the comparison median of $73,585. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

median home value
$509,700
Above the comparison median of $295,100
median gross rent
$1,722
Above the comparison median of $1,263
median household income
$92,414
Above the comparison median of $73,585

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Charleston's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population
159,423
2025 estimate
Annual change
+0.4%
Population estimate
Density
1,382/sq mi
115.3 sq mi land area
Median age
36.6 years
ACS 5-year estimate

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income
$92,414
Median home value
$509,700
Median gross rent
$1,722
Bachelor’s degree or higher
58.3%
Typical commute
24.2 min
Drive-alone commute
66.2%
Public transit commute
0.7%
Walked to work
3.5%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes
44.4%
Renters paying 30%+ of income
54.5%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+
64.5%
Unemployed residents 16+
2.3%
Working from home
19.4%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband
92.8%
Homes built 2020+
4.1%
Households without a vehicle
7.2%
Households with children
21.2%
Residents with a disability
9.8%
Residents without insurance
6%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Charleston County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000
20
Hurricane declarations
13
Severe Storm declarations
3
Tropical Storm declarations
2

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: DWTN CHARLESTON (5 mi from place center)
Average high
73.3°F
Average low
61.1°F
Annual rainfall
44.3"
Annual snowfall
0"

Month by month

A year in Charleston.

Typical high and low °F
40°F60°F80°F100°F
JFMAMJJASOND
Typical precipitation inches

Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Similar places

More places to consider.

Selected by the closest mix of population, density, median home value, and average annual high.

Palmdale, CA

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
161,845
Median home
$471,000

Lancaster, CA

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
170,084
Median home
$446,600

St. George, UT

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
108,713
Median home
$496,100

Keep exploring

Compare Charleston with Palmdale