HomeSouth CarolinaCharleston CountyCharleston
Charleston, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Charleston is a Census city of 154,338 people across 115.25 square miles of land, lying across Charleston County and Berkeley County. Median household income is $92,414, 55.6 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 250 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $153.3 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Charleston
What Charleston is
- Census place typecity
- Land area115.25 sq mi
- Water area20.87 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,339
- County holding the largest share of its areaCharleston County, 68.8 percent
- Counties this place lies inCharleston County 68.8 percent, Berkeley County 31.2 percent
Charleston crosses a county line. The split above is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries, by area, so it says where the ground is and not where the town hall is.
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
How many people live in Charleston
- Population154,338
- Median age36.6
- Population under 1826,684
- Share under 1817.3 percent
- Population 65 and over25,374
- Share 65 and over16.4 percent
- Households68,027
- Family households35,318
- Share of households that are families51.9 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
Income and work in Charleston
- Median household income$92,414
- Per capita income$59,875
- Civilian labor force87,386
- Employed84,432
- Unemployed2,954
- Unemployment rate3.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over109,483
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher96.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher58.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree22.8 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
Housing in Charleston
- Housing units77,417
- Occupied units68,027
- Vacant units9,390
- Vacancy rate12.1 percent
- Owner occupied37,816
- Renter occupied30,211
- Ownership rate55.6 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$509,700
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,722
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.4 percent
- Single family units42,276
- Share single family54.6 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more34,459
- Share in buildings of two or more44.5 percent
- Mobile homes643 plus or minus 281
- Median year structure built1995
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
How Charleston gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute67,780
- Commuting under 15 minutes17,674
- Share commuting under 15 minutes26.1 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more21,368
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more31.5 percent
- Drove alone66.2 percent
- Carpooled7.2 percent
- Public transport0.7 percent plus or minus 0.4
- Walked3.5 percent
- Worked from home19.4 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
SBA loans in Charleston (7(a))
- Approvals250
- Gross approval$153,257,300
- Average approval$613,029
- Median approval$300,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$1,435,610
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported2,669
- Jobs per approval10.7
- Loans with a final outcome32
- Paid in full29
- Charged off3
- Charge-off rate over resolved loans9.4 percent
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more14.0 percent
- Share to franchises18.8 percent
- Distinct lenders62
- Distinct industries by NAICS115
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston
SBA loans in Charleston (504)
- Approvals48
- Gross approval$34,160,000
- Average approval$711,667
- Median approval$570,000
- Largest approval$3,025,000
- Jobs supported705
- Loans with a final outcome17
- Charged off1
- Median term300 months
- Distinct CDCs4
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 17 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston
Flood risk in Charleston
- NFIP communityCity of Charleston
- NFIP community number455412
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classClass 6
- Currently effective map date01/29/21
The City of Charleston participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 455412 and carries Community Rating System class 6, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Charleston County, not Charleston
Charleston County context, not Charleston figures
- Establishments in Charleston County15,801
- Covered employment, Charleston County278,476
- Average annual pay, Charleston County$68,271
- Housing units permitted, Charleston County4,153
Every figure in this section is published for Charleston County as a whole and is not a measurement of Charleston.
All Charleston County figures →
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, 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 →
Common questions
Charleston questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Charleston, South Carolina?
154,338, in 68,027 households. Charleston city covers 115.25 square miles of land, which is 1,339 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Charleston in?
Charleston lies in more than one. By area it is 68.8 percent in Charleston County, 31.2 percent in Berkeley County. This page sits under Charleston County because that county holds the largest share. The split is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries.
What is the median household income in Charleston?
$92,414. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $509,700. Median gross rent is $1,722 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Charleston businesses?
250 7(a) approvals totaling $153.3 m since FY2020, across 62 lenders, median approval $300,000, plus 48 504 approvals worth $34.2 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Charleston borrowers get paid back?
Of the 32 loans that have reached a final outcome, 29 were paid in full and 3 charged off, a charge off rate of 9.4 percent. Loans still running are excluded because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
Is Charleston in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Charleston appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Charleston, city of, community 455412, carrying Community Rating System class 6, which is a premium discount for exceeding the program minimum. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Charleston figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Charleston County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Charleston.
Is zoning published for Charleston?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.