Population

159,423

US Census estimate, July 2025

Median home value

$509,700

Owner-occupied units

Charleston, SC

South Carolina · 32.828° N, 79.973° W · 115 sq mi

Charleston is a city in South Carolina, with a population of 159,423 and about 1,383 residents per square mile. The median household earns $92,414 a year, and the median home is worth $509,700.

Conditions

Humidity & wind

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UV index

—

Sunrise & sunset

—

Local time

—

Size & density

Land area

115 sq mi

Water excluded

Population density

1,383

People per square mile

Rank by population

#173

Of cities on this site

Rank by area

#75

Of cities on this site

Money & housing

Median household income

$92,414

US median ≈ $78,538

Median gross rent

$1,722

Per month

Homeownership

55.6%

US ≈ 65%

Average commute

24.2 min

One way

People

Median age

36.6

US median 39.1

Bachelor's degree +

58.3%

Age 25 and over

Foreign born

Households

68,027

2.18 people each

What people here do for work

Education & health care 23.7^%

Professional & business services 19.1^%

Arts, food & hospitality 11.6^%

Retail trade 9.4^%

Top four industries · share of all workers · ACS 2024

Wealthiest person in South Carolina

Name

Robert Faith

Forbes, Apr 2025

Net worth

$5B

As of 25 Apr 2025 — not live

Lives in

Charleston

Source of wealth

Real estate management

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Largest employer in South Carolina · private sector

Employer

Prisma Health

Sector

Healthcare

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified. Government employers are excluded.

Largest public company in South Carolina

Company

Sonoco Products

Revenue

$5.3B

Fiscal year 2024

Headquarters

Hartsville

Ticker

SON

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Forgotten Flicks movie T-shirts on TeePublic

State of South Carolina

State bird

Carolina Wren

State flower

Yellow Jessamine

State capital

Columbia

Nickname

The Palmetto State

Compare Charleston with

Charleston vs Mount PleasantSide by side
Charleston vs North CharlestonSide by side
Charleston vs SalinasSide by side
Charleston vs AlexandriaSide by side
Charleston vs ColumbiaSide by side
Charleston vs SavannahSide by side

Cities near Charleston

Mount Pleasant, SC6 mi · 95,469
North Charleston, SC8 mi · 129,245
Goose Creek, SC12 mi · 52,010
Summerville, SC17 mi · 53,177
Savannah, GA91 mi · 149,440
Columbia, SC100 mi · 147,035
Augusta-Richmond County, GA127 mi · 201,999
Wilmington, NC153 mi · 126,809