Census-designated place · Berkeley County, South Carolina

Ladson, South Carolina

Ladson is a census-designated place in Berkeley County, South Carolina, part of the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area. It has 16,140 residents. Ladson, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 26 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,534 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #120 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on hospital quality rating (high), effective property tax rate (low) and comfortable days (high). It ranks worst on uninsured residents (under 65) (high), natural hazard risk (high) and primary care physicians (low).

26Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,534 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #120 of 268 in SC
Population: 16,140 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 2,329.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 4539220

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety27#11,358/15,637
Economy57#6,755/15,631
Housing37#9,482/14,977
Health42#9,073/15,609
Healthcare23#11,976/15,650
Environment55#6,977/15,453
Education21#12,418/15,649
Infrastructure54#7,175/15,650
Community30#10,878/15,651
Leisure & amenities13#13,690/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ladson, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Berkeley County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100South Carolina 3.4United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBerkeley County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.47%
90/100South Carolina 0.49%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Comfortable days · high32.8%
90/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationBerkeley County value
Job growth · high1.9%
87/100South Carolina 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataBerkeley County value
New business applications · high19.1 /1k
87/100South Carolina 16.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauBerkeley County value
Median Air Quality Index · low35
86/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBerkeley County value

Weaknesses

Uninsured residents (under 65) · high20.8%
6/100South Carolina 11.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Natural hazard risk · high90.8
9/100South Carolina 51.22025Federal Emergency Management AgencyBerkeley County value
Primary care physicians · low28 /100k
10/100South Carolina 68 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBerkeley County value
Restaurants and bars · low5.1 /10k
11/100South Carolina 9.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBerkeley County value
Social associations · low6.0 /10k
11/100South Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBerkeley County value
Dentists · low32 /100k
13/100South Carolina 60 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBerkeley County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
32.2% (2015-2019) → 55.4% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
24.2% (2015-2019) → 35.2% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.8% (2015-2019) → 93.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
17.1% (2015-2019) → 10.6% (2020-2024)
−6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$63,808 (2015-2019) → $78,760 (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
84.9% (2015-2019) → 89.0% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Ladson, South Carolina improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+11 points82.8% → 93.7%

Declined1

Rent / income+11 points24.2% → 35.2%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Ladson, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.3 min2015-2019	30.9 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	53%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.1%2015-2019	19.8%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Broadband subscriptions	82.8%2015-2019	93.7%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	64%
Child poverty rate	17.1%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	−6.5 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Effective property tax rate	0.55%2015-2019	0.47%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
High school diploma or higher	84.9%2015-2019	89.0%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	53%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4222015-2019	0.4382020-2024	+0.015	Within the margin of error	37%
Median household income	$63,8082015-2019	$78,7602020-2024	+23%	Within the margin of error	40%
Poverty rate	11.4%2015-2019	12.3%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Rent as share of income	24.2%2015-2019	35.2%2020-2024	+11 points	Declined	8%
Rent-burdened households	32.2%2015-2019	55.4%2020-2024	+23 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Unemployment rate	5.8%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.0%2015-2019	20.8%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	27%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Ladson, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ladson, South Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Ladson, South Carolina itself moved −10.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

16,140 residents (±1,401)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,777 households (±524)

Ladson, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k12%†695
$25k–50k20%†1,138
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,777 households (±524)

Ladson, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own77%4,423
Rent23%1,354

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

8,005 workers (±839)

Ladson, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone72%5,731
Carpool14%†1,121
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Berkeley County, the county holding most of Ladson's residents.

Berkeley County has 4,230 employer establishments, 165 for every 10,000 residents (0.66× the US rate of 248; 0.72× South Carolina's), with 61,856 paid employees at an average annual pay of $62,301. The Census Bureau also counts 23,174 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,230; 23,174 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 165; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 61,856
Average annual pay: $62,301; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Berkeley County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	387	15.1	0.97×About typical	2,965	$62,488	1,839
Restaurants and other eating places	300	11.7	0.64×Fewer than typical	5,938	$21,256	121
Ambulatory health care services	275	10.7	0.51×Fewer than typical	2,545	$71,769	830
Lessors of real estate	263	10.2	0.83×About typical	713	$67,604	1,838
Services to buildings and dwellings	144	5.6	0.83×About typical	1,280	$42,676	1,791
Construction of buildings	143	5.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	866	$101,770	664
Limited-service restaurants	142	5.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	2,986	$19,276	42
Real estate agents and brokers	136	5.3	1.09×About typical	233	$63,665	750
Truck transportation	136	5.3	1.05×About typical	1,205	$48,584	714
Full-service restaurants	129	5	0.65×Fewer than typical	2,543	$23,986	59
Building equipment contractors	127	4.9	0.82×About typical	1,176	$60,761	360
Religious organizations	119	4.6	0.84×About typical	779	$27,315	—

Rank places for an industry Open Berkeley County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 256,711 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $139.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Ladson, South Carolina: $8,646 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $139.5M; +35% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,646; US $1,995
Sole-source: 6.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.1%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$139.5M99.9%
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center$53.6K0.0%
Defense Logistics Agency$17.3K0.0%
Federal Acquisition Service$5,8250.0%
Health Resources and Services Administration$4,1010.0%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$3,0830.0%

Top recipients

FEDEX SUPPLY CHAIN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, INC.$82.9M59%
ALL IN SOLUTIONS LLC$26.2M19%
FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION$16.2M12%
DLH SOLUTIONS INC$7.9M5.6%
USVETSERV, LLC$2.3M1.6%

Spending by fiscal year

548.8KFY2017
209.9KFY2018
1.6MFY2019
459.9KFY2020
380.3KFY2021
3.2MFY2022
18.4MFY2023
79.5MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Business support services · 5614$82.9M59%
Facilities support services · 5612$34M24%
Couriers and express delivery services · 4921$16.2M12%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$2.4M1.7%
Converted paper product manufacturing · 3222$1.6M1.1%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance · 8113

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Ladson, South Carolina

MAIL MANIFESTING SERVICES$100M
FEDEX SUPPLY CHAIN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, INC.· Berkeley County, SC· Professional services· Oct 1, 2025 – Jun 26, 2026· 36C77026N0008
MAIL MANIFESTING SERVICES$83.1M
FEDEX SUPPLY CHAIN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, INC.· Berkeley County, SC· Professional services· Oct 1, 2024 – Oct 29, 2025· 36C77025N0007
CHARLESTON CMOP STAFFING SERVICES$31.7M
ALL IN SOLUTIONS LLC· Berkeley County, SC· Health & medical· Jan 21, 2026 – Aug 6, 2026· 36C77026N0020
FED EX NGDS SHIPPING

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Ladson, South Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Ladson, South Carolina's figures are part of those of Berkeley County, SC and Charleston County, SC ($2.4B in FY2026), never added to them: 5.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Ladson is mostly in Berkeley County.

See federal money in Berkeley County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Ladson, South Carolina is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Charleston-North Charleston, SC75

Other cities and towns in Berkeley County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4539220

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends