HomeSouth CarolinaCharleston County
Charleston County, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Charleston County, South Carolina had an estimated 431,001 residents on July 1, 2024, up 5.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 408,530, across 916 square miles. County output reached $50.46 bn in 2024, 15,801 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 568 7(a) approvals worth $354.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Charleston County
How many people live in Charleston County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024420,264
- Households178,975
- Average household size2.35
- Median household income$88,494
- Median age39.2
- Median gross rent$1,620 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$489,100
- Home value to household income5.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher50.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree19.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over303,597
- Population under 1881,885
- Share under 1819.5 percent
- Population 65 and over75,028
- Share 65 and over17.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64263,351
- Civilian labor force225,887
- Unemployment rate3.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over66.8 percent
- Rank by population among South Carolina counties3rd of 46
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included176th of 3,222
Charleston County is the 3rd largest of 46 South Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 5.5 times median household income, which is severely unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 19.5 percent against 17.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston County
Is Charleston County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024431,001
- Census 2020 base population408,530
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.50 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20245,196
- Births, 20244,965
- Deaths, 20243,747
- Natural change, 20241,218
- Net domestic migration, 20241,247
- Net international migration, 20242,748
- Total net migration, 20243,995
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20249,222
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents472nd of 3,144
The county has grown 5.50 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Charleston County
Where are people moving to Charleston County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving16,882
- People arriving, from those returns26,991
- Tax returns filed by households leaving15,842
- Net household movement1,040
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.98 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$730.4 m
- Average income of an arriving household$117,050
- Average income of a leaving household$78,626
- Largest single originBerkeley County (2,196 households)
- Largest single destinationBerkeley County (3,355 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County | 2,196 | 3,699 | $127.3 m |
| Dorchester County | 1,437 | 2,515 | $69.7 m |
| Mecklenburg County | 355 | 537 | $63.0 m |
| Richland County | 327 | 460 | $26.8 m |
| Greenville County | 270 | 382 | $24.9 m |
| Horry County | 245 | 340 | $13.3 m |
| Beaufort County | 183 | 273 | $21.6 m |
| Fulton County | 169 | 262 | $68.1 m |
Households arriving report $38,424 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Berkeley County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Charleston County
What is the Charleston County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$50.46 bn
- County GDP, 2023$46.78 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.9 percent
- GDP change over five years49.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among the South Carolina areas BEA publishes1st of 46
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes115th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$120,072
Output grew 7.9 percent in the latest year and 49.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Charleston County
Employment by industry in Charleston County
- Covered employment, annual average278,476
- Establishments reporting22,449
- Average annual pay$68,271
- Average weekly wage$1,313
- Accommodation and food services, employment36,782
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$33,658
- Health care and social assistance, employment31,933
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$68,426
- Retail trade, employment30,266
- Retail trade, average annual pay$43,782
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment21,342
- Professional, scientific and technical services, average annual pay$104,365
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment19,698
- Manufacturing, employment17,539
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 36,782 | 1,675 | $33,658 |
| Health care and social assistance | 31,933 | 2,098 | $68,426 |
| Retail trade | 30,266 | 2,258 | $43,782 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 21,342 | 4,352 | $104,365 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 19,698 | 1,449 | $47,340 |
| Manufacturing | 17,539 | 730 | $95,867 |
| Construction | 15,708 | 1,762 | $83,765 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 10,195 | 645 | $62,993 |
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 36,782 jobs, 13.2 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Charleston County
How many businesses are in Charleston County?
- Establishments, all industries15,801
- Employment at those establishments226,330
- Annual payroll$13.51 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents37.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Charleston County
Building permits in Charleston County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20244,153
- Declared construction value permitted$1.25 bn
- Single family units authorized3,052
- Multifamily units authorized1,101
- Multifamily share of units26.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$300,331
- Units authorized per 1,000 households23.2
Single-family homes are 73.5 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Charleston County
SBA loans in Charleston County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded568
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$354.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$624,352
- Median 7(a) approval$300,000
- 10th percentile approval$30,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,586,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)6,153
- Jobs per approval10.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active87
- Distinct industries receiving approvals186
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer15.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms85
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter435
- Franchise loans106
- Franchise share of approvals18.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (31)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (71)
- 504 approvals recorded107
- 504 gross approval dollars$97.7 m
- Average 504 approval$912,720
- Median 504 approval$625,000
- Distinct CDCs active6
- 504 jobs per approval15.2
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.6
- Most active CDCProvident Business Financial Services, Inc. (64)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$452.3 m
The average approval of $624,352 sits well above the median of $300,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 15.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Charleston County
Do SBA loans in Charleston County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded83
- Paid in full77
- Charged off6
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans7.2 percent
- Status: Paid in full77
- Status: Exempt from disclosure384
- Status: Cancelled64
- Status: Charged off6
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed37
Of the 83 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7.2 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston County
SBA lending by place in Charleston County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending20
- Charleston, approvals218
- Mount Pleasant, approvals150
- North Charleston, approvals117
- Johns Island, approvals43
- Ladson, approvals11
- Isle of Palms, approvals6
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 218 | $119,028,700 |
| Mount Pleasant | 150 | $78,462,100 |
| North Charleston | 117 | $105,404,500 |
| Johns Island | 43 | $23,506,700 |
| Ladson | 11 | $9,105,300 |
| Isle of Palms | 6 | $6,709,600 |
| Awendaw | 5 | $775,000 |
| McClellanville | 4 | $2,075,000 |
| 12 other borrower cities | 14 | $9,564,800 |
Charleston accounts for 218 approvals against 150 in Mount Pleasant. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston County
How large is Charleston County?
- Land area916 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Carolina counties7th of 46
- Width, east to west68.4 mi
- Height, north to south49.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land459
- Establishments per square mile17.25
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Charleston County
Flood risk in Charleston County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Charleston County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 455413
- Community Rating System class of the county's own communityClass 2
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book17
- Of those, participating in the NFIP17
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 2
- Communities carrying a CRS class16
- Radon levels in Charleston County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Charleston County (community 455413), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries Community Rating System class 2, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there. The EPA places Charleston County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 2, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Charleston County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Charleston County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024420,264
- Households178,975
- Average household size2.35
- Median household income$88,494
- Median age39.2
Common questions
Charleston County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Charleston County, South Carolina?
The Census Bureau estimates 431,001 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 420,264, in 178,975 households, ranking 3rd of 46 South Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Charleston County's population growing?
The population has grown 5.50 percent since the 2020 census base of 408,530, to 431,001 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 4,965 births against 3,747 deaths, with net migration of 3,995. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Charleston County?
$88,494. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $489,100, which is 5.5 times income, and median gross rent is $1,620 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Charleston County?
15,801 establishments, employing 226,330 people with an annual payroll of $13.51 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Charleston County?
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 36,782 jobs, 13.2 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 278,476 jobs at an average annual pay of $68,271, or $1,313 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Charleston County?
568 7(a) approvals totaling $354.6 m since FY2020, across 87 lenders, with a median approval of $300,000, plus 107 504 approvals worth $97.7 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Charleston County get paid back?
Of the 83 loans that have reached a final outcome, 77 were paid in full and 6 charged off, a charge-off rate of 7.2 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Charleston County?
4,153 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.25 bn. Multifamily was 26.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Charleston County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Charleston County come from?
The largest single origin is Berkeley County, with 2,196 households. Arriving households report an average income of $117,050 against $78,626 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Charleston County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Charleston County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Charleston County
Cities and places in Charleston.
19 Census places lie wholly or partly in Charleston County. All 19 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | city | 154,338 | 218 | 68.8 percent here, 31.2 percent Berkeley County |
| North Charleston | city | 119,913 | 117 | 73.7 percent here, 26.3 percent Dorchester County |
| Mount Pleasant | town | 93,993 | 150 | Wholly in this county |
| Summerville | town | 51,654 | 1 | 4.0 percent here, 76.2 percent Dorchester County, 19.8 percent Berkeley County |
| Ladson | CDP | 16,140 | 11 | 24.9 percent here, 75.1 percent Berkeley County |
| James Island | town | 12,198 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Hollywood | town | 5,382 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Isle of Palms | city | 4,362 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Ravenel | town | 2,615 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Kiawah Island | town | 2,326 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Seabrook Island | town | 2,204 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Sullivan's Island | town | 2,087 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Awendaw | town | 1,772 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Meggett | town | 1,307 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Folly Beach | city | 1,267 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Lincolnville | town | 1,064 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| McClellanville | town | 690 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Adams Run | CDP | 469 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Rockville | town | 121 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 47 of the county's 568 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Charleston County, the largest being Johns Island (43), N Charleston (1), Charlseton (1). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.