Metro area · South Carolina

Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area

Charleston-North Charleston, SC is a metropolitan area of 3 counties in South Carolina, home to 889,263 residents. Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area has a quality-of-life score of 75 out of 100 (high), ranking #228 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in South Carolina it ranks #2 of 14. It ranks best on new business applications (high), distance to an airport (low) and comfortable days (high). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), rent as share of income (high) and rent-burdened households (high).

75High
Quality-of-life score
#228 of 925 metro and micro areas
South Carolina
#2 of 14 in SC
Population
889,263 (2025)
Land area
2,590 mi²
Density
343.3 /mi²
CBSA code
16700

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map
Location of Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

  • Safety27#676/924
  • Economy88#108/925
  • Housing24#701/925
  • Health85#144/925
  • Healthcare81#178/923
  • Environment54#419/917
  • Education89#100/925
  • Infrastructure67#308/925
  • Community61#358/925
  • Leisure & amenities90#90/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Weaknesses

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.

Metro and micro areas like Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area 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.

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).

Income

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

Homes

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

Getting to work

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

Jobs and pay

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

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.

Federal contract spending

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Counties in Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

  1. Charleston CountyCentral county75436,200
  2. Berkeley CountyCentral county49274,666
  3. Dorchester CountyCentral county50178,397

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

  1. CharlestonPrincipal city154,338
  2. North CharlestonPrincipal city119,913

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

  1. Charleston154,338
  2. North Charleston119,913
  3. Mount Pleasant93,993
  4. Summerville51,654
  5. Goose Creek48,078
  6. Hanahan21,452
  7. Ladson16,140
  8. Moncks Corner15,485
  9. James Island12,198
  10. Sangaree8,681
  11. Hollywood5,382
  12. Isle of Palms4,362
  13. Ravenel2,615
  14. Kiawah Island2,326
  15. Seabrook Island2,204
  16. St. George2,154
  17. Sullivan's Island2,087
  18. Awendaw1,772
  19. Pimlico1,765
  20. Ridgeville1,740
  21. Bonneau Beach1,516
  22. St. Stephen1,462
  23. Meggett1,307
  24. Folly Beach1,267

Other metro and micro areas in South Carolina

Areas based in South Carolina, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

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