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).
- 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.
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
- New business applications · high23.2 /1k
- Distance to an airport · low11 mi96/100South Carolina 24 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Comfortable days · high33.6%95/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
- Frequent mental distress · low16.0%93/100South Carolina 18.5%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- New homes permitted · high8.4 /1k92/100South Carolina 8.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
- Adult smoking · low11.8%91/100South Carolina 16.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Average commute time · high27.7 min
- Rent as share of income · high31.9%
- Rent-burdened households · high53.4%
- Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.477
- Home price to income ratio · high4.4×
- Drought exposure · high74%21/100South Carolina 72%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- PopulationRising
803,468 (2020) → 889,263 (2025)
+11%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
- Drought exposureWorsening
2% (2021) → 74% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+72 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.7% (2015-2019) → 89.7% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
- Homicide rateImproving
12.2 /100k (2021) → 6.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
- Child care cost burdenWorsening
15.7% (2020 & 2021) → 25.0% (2023 & 2024)
+9.3 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
32.9 /100k (2021) → 21.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−36%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
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.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Charleston154,338
- North Charleston119,913
- Mount Pleasant93,993
- Summerville51,654
- Goose Creek48,078
- Hanahan21,452
- Ladson16,140
- Moncks Corner15,485
- James Island12,198
- Sangaree8,681
- Hollywood5,382
- Isle of Palms4,362
- Ravenel2,615
- Kiawah Island2,326
- Seabrook Island2,204
- St. George2,154
- Sullivan's Island2,087
- Awendaw1,772
- Pimlico1,765
- Ridgeville1,740
- Bonneau Beach1,516
- St. Stephen1,462
- Meggett1,307
- 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).
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC75Alike on Pop. change, Income per capita, Bachelor's+
- Richmond, VA78Alike on Bachelor's+, Gyms, Household income
- Jacksonville, FL55Alike on Pop. change, Comfortable days, Rent
- Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC76Alike on Rent, Comfortable days, Mental distress
- Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC60Alike on Domestic migration, New homes, Population
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08