HomeSouth CarolinaCharleston CountyNorth Charleston city
North Charleston city, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
North Charleston city is a Census city of 119,913 people across 77.97 square miles of land, lying across Charleston County and Dorchester County. Median household income is $62,956, 49.8 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 133 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $118.0 m.
78 sourced place values · tier FULL · 8 sections
North Charleston
What North Charleston is
- Census place typecity
- Land area77.97 sq mi
- Water area3.57 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,538
- County holding the largest share of its areaCharleston County, 73.7 percent
- Counties this place lies inCharleston County 73.7 percent, Dorchester County 26.3 percent
North Charleston city 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.
North Charleston
How many people live in North Charleston
- Population119,913
- Median age34.6
- Population under 1826,276
- Share under 1821.9 percent
- Population 65 and over14,951
- Share 65 and over12.5 percent
- Households49,185
- Family households27,351
- Share of households that are families55.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
North Charleston
Income and work in North Charleston
- Median household income$62,956
- Per capita income$36,019
- Civilian labor force63,593
- Employed60,848
- Unemployed2,745 plus or minus 555
- Unemployment rate4.3 percent plus or minus 0.9
- Adults 25 and over81,235
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher88.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher28.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
North Charleston
Housing in North Charleston
- Housing units54,781
- Occupied units49,185
- Vacant units5,596
- Vacancy rate10.2 percent
- Owner occupied24,483
- Renter occupied24,702
- Ownership rate49.8 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$302,200
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,430
- Annual rent as a share of median income27.3 percent
- Single family units31,268
- Share single family57.1 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more19,594
- Share in buildings of two or more35.8 percent
- Mobile homes3,872
- Median year structure built1996
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
North Charleston
How North Charleston gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute56,360
- Commuting under 15 minutes12,621
- Share commuting under 15 minutes22.4 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more20,085
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more35.6 percent
- Drove alone74.0 percent
- Carpooled11.7 percent
- Public transport1.7 percent plus or minus 0.6
- Walked1.2 percent plus or minus 0.4
- Worked from home9.7 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
North Charleston
SBA 7(a) lending to North Charleston borrowers
- Approvals133
- Gross approval$118,032,400
- Average approval$887,462
- Median approval$350,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$2,950,000
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported1,580
- Jobs per approval11.9
- Loans with a final outcome13
- Paid in full12
- Charged off1
- Charge-off rate over resolved loans7.7 percent
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more21.1 percent
- Share to franchises10.5 percent
- Distinct lenders42
- Distinct industries by NAICS84
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
North Charleston
SBA 504 lending to North Charleston borrowers
- Approvals23
- Gross approval$30,618,000
- Average approval$1,331,217
- Median approval$832,000
- Largest approval$3,983,000
- Jobs supported447
- Loans with a final outcome7
- Charged off0
- Median term300 months
- Distinct CDCs6
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston County, not North Charleston
Charleston County context, not North Charleston figures
These are Charleston County figures. There is no place level equivalent published for any of them, so they are shown as the county backdrop and never as North Charleston measurements.
- Establishments in Charleston County15,801
- Employment at those establishments, Charleston County226,330
- Covered employment, Charleston County278,476
- Average annual pay, Charleston County$68,271
- Average weekly wage, Charleston County$1,313
- Housing units permitted, Charleston County4,153
- Of those, single family, Charleston County3,052
- County product, 2024, Charleston County$50,461,876,000
- County product change over the prior year, Charleston County7.9 percent
- Average income of an arriving household, Charleston County$117,050
Every figure in this section is published for Charleston County as a whole and is not a measurement of North Charleston. It is here because a county backdrop is what a credit committee reads a place against, and it is labelled so that it can never be quoted as the place's own.
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. US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024. US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- This place is not listed as a community in the FEMA Community Status Book, so no NFIP participation or CRS class is shown.
- Parcel level detail, zoning and flood zone at an address are resolved in the platform, not on this page.
SBA figures count approvals to borrowers whose address is in the place. They are not approvals for projects inside the place boundary: the tape records a borrower city and a project county, and those can differ.
Common questions
North Charleston questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in North Charleston, South Carolina?
119,913, in 49,185 households. North Charleston city covers 77.97 square miles of land, which is 1,538 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is North Charleston in?
North Charleston lies in more than one. By area it is 73.7 percent in Charleston County, 26.3 percent in Dorchester 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 North Charleston?
$62,956. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $302,200. Median gross rent is $1,430 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to North Charleston businesses?
133 7(a) approvals totalling $118.0 m, across 42 lenders, median approval $350,000, plus 23 504 approvals worth $30.6 m. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in North Charleston, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to North Charleston borrowers get paid back?
Of the 13 loans that have reached a final outcome, 12 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 7.7 percent. Loans still running are excluded because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
Are the county figures on this page North Charleston figures?
No, and they are labelled 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 North Charleston.
Is zoning published for North Charleston?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.