Charleston is a city of 159,423, and it grades B− overall, ranked 57th of 167 in South Carolina. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country and it is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. The trade-offs: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top, and the typical home is worth about $588K, 6.9 years of the Charleston metro’s $85K median household income. 42% of working residents work locally in Charleston, against 6.1% in South Carolina’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Miles Brewton House and Robert Brewton House. On the outdoors, just 8 of South Carolina’s 263 towns do better.

StrongestAHealth AWalkability AHistoryWeakestD⁻Hazard risk C⁻Cost of living C⁻Safety

What makes Charleston stand out

Where Charleston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Charleston Historic District

HistoryA

Settled in 1670

112 places on the National Register

A history going back 356 years.

Biggest of 5

College	Students
College of Charleston	10,861
Citadel Military College of South Carolina	2,976
Medical University of South Carolina	2,521

Colleges in town

5 colleges

17,173 students on campus

Students are 9% of residents.

Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD⁻

Hurricanes and earthquakes at the top

FEMA National Risk Index.

Charleston Historic District · National Register of Historic Places

Charleston’s story

356 years in pictures

Charleston Historic District is one of 33 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1670, is the earliest of any South Carolina town we grade.

Census counts: 16,359 in 1790, 150,227 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1706 and 4 maps from 1948 on.

112 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

1670Charleston is settled

Explore the history →

How Charleston grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Charleston is from typical.

How grading works

Its grades run from A for health (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 3%), so the B− overall blends very different results.

Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listD⁻Open →HealthMUSC Medical Center 3.3 miles awayAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11 of 20; 7.2% of households have no car; 5.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →Cost of livingC⁻Open →SafetyC⁻Open →SchoolsB⁺Open →Jobs & income$92K median household incomeB⁺Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors12% conserved landA⁻Open →History17 notable people born hereAOpen →Civic life5.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

Climate–Open →Housing market73 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.6; 58% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

H. L. Hunley and 28 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Charleston. Close and well known come first.

All 37 attractions →

Big draw2 mi MuseumH. L. Hunley

Big draw5 mi MuseumUSS Yorktown

5 mi MuseumUSS Laffey

in town Park & preserveAngel Oak

in town LandmarkFort Wagner

in town DamThe Battery

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

H. L. Hunley: Sepia wash drawing by R.G. Skerrett, 1902, after a painting then held by the Con, Public domain · USS Yorktown: David Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · USS Laffey: U.S. Navy, Public domain · Angel Oak: Galen Parks Smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Wagner: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · The Battery: Eagledj, CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting set up

Moving to Charleston: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Charleston, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerDominion Energy South Carolina16.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterCharleston Water System (Sc1010001)2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpFrom the town’s siteTrash and recycling rulesTown site

SchoolsCharleston County School District Berkeley County School District2 districts serve Charleston; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn South Carolina you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereCharleston Board of Voter RegistrationCharleston County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2026

ZIP codes29414, 29407, 29412, 2940329414 24% · 29407 20% · 29412 14% · 29403 14%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Charleston.

Charleston is one of South Carolina’s best towns for the outdoors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of South Carolina.

HousingCost of living grade C⁻

For cost of living, Charleston earns a C−

At 6.9 years of the Charleston metro’s $85K median household income, the typical home (about $588K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,214, against $1,251 across South Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.

Charleston’s median rent is $1,722 a month. The typical Charleston home is worth about $588,000, up 1.4% in a year, 93% above the South Carolina typical home. 56% of households own their home in Charleston.

$588KZillow home value

	Charleston	South Carolina towns	U.S. towns
Median rent	$1,722 a month	$1,058 a month	$1,185 a month
Households that own their home	56%	65%	73%
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent	55%	52%	48%

Typical home value

Charleston$588K

South Carolina$304K

Market temperature

days on market

98.2%

sale-to-list price

+1.4%

value change, 1 year

329

homes sold in May

Full pageCharleston’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 1.4% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 6.4 years of income Rents$1,722 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsAhead of 1 of its 7 graded neighbors

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

SchoolsB⁺

Public schools in Charleston beat 73% of South Carolina districts

Its public schools are run by the Charleston 01 school district. Three of its 56 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

73%of SC districts it outscoresB⁺School Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
C. E. Williams Middle School for Creative and Scientific ArtLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8	Grades 6–8	1,299	C
West Ashley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	2,069	A
Buist AcademyTop results in townGrades 3–8	Grades 3–8	521	A⁺

Full pageCharleston’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsCharleston 01 Vs. the neighborsAhead of 2 of its 7 graded neighbors Every school56 schools · Orange Grove Charter School Questions“Are Charleston’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation

HealthA

A smaller share of adults report frequent physical distress in Charleston than in most of South Carolina or the rest of the country

10% of Charleston adults report frequent physical distress. Only 9 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Charleston. 15% of Charleston adults report frequent mental distress.

93%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade

	Charleston	South Carolina towns	U.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	23%	15%	16%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	10%	15%	14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	29%	40%	35%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)	31%	38%	36%

32 measures vs. South Carolina

23 better6 too close to call3 worse

What stands out	Charleston	SC
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth	8.5%	13.9%
Fewer adults with COPD	4.8%	7.5%
More binge drinkers	22.9%	15.7%

Charleston VA Medical Center

3.2 mi away · emergency room

1 of 3

care shortages: primary care

96th

percentile among SC towns

Full pageCharleston’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore binge drinkers Hospitals & doctors nearby3.2 miles to an ER · Charleston VA Medical Center How adults are doingFewer adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than SC on 23 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D⁻

Very high risk in Charleston, with hurricanes at the top

FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of South Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $1,104 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 5,206 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 753 properties have flooded more than once.

Since 1978, 5,206 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Charleston.

96risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

HurricanesEarthquakesCoastal flooding

5,206

paid flood claims since 1978

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageCharleston’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims5,206 paid flood claims · Since 1978 Past disasters10 federal disasters · Paid out in Charleston Get ready0.3 events a year, on average · Ready for hurricanes

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

OutdoorsA⁻

Conserved land covers 11.6% of Charleston

Its A− for the outdoors ranks #5 of 169 in South Carolina.

89 miles of trail in 79 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, 403 acres with 1.7 miles of trail. The trail density in Charleston is 0.7 miles per square mile.

#30for trails in SC

11.6%

conserved · 10,087 of 87,071 acres

89 mi

of trails · 0.7 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. James Island County Park	2.9 mi	262
2. Hampton Park	2.6 mi	41
3. Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site	1.7 mi	403

Full pageCharleston’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map89 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk2.9 miles of trail · James Island County Park Conserved land11.6% conserved · 10,087 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Charleston?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

SafetyC⁻

Charleston sees more crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns

Reported crimes fell from 3,692 to 3,001 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.

Within South Carolina, it does better than 64% of towns.

24%of U.S. towns report more crimeC⁻Safety Grade

	Charleston	South Carolina towns	U.S. towns
Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025)	2.8 per 1,000 residents	4.3	1.6
Property crimes per 1,000 (2025)	16 per 1,000 residents	21.7	9.9

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Charleston2.8

South Carolina3.9

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Charleston16

South Carolina17.2

U.S.15.5

24th

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

64th

percentile among SC towns

446

violent crimes reported in 2025

2,555

property crimes reported in 2025

Full pageCharleston’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by type2.8 violent crimes per 1,000 Crime over the yearsDown since 2023 Vs. the neighborsAhead of 1 of its 5 graded neighbors Questions“Is Charleston, SC safe?”

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police

Climate

Charleston has mild winters and hot summers

Charleston has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.

90°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter42–61°

Spring56–75°

Summer73–89°

Fall58–77°

Nov 27

typical first frost

Mar 7

typical last frost

+1.4°

vs. the 20th-century average

90°

typical summer high

Full pageCharleston’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 90°, January lows 40°Rain & snow49″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard of Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+1.4° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B⁺

Charleston has 1.5 jobs for every working resident, and 75,296 people commute in

Since 2013, Charleston has added 18,287 jobs, to 104,618 in 2023. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 10 have a higher share of workers working from home than Charleston. The top destinations are North Charleston (17%), Mount Pleasant (9%) and Columbia (2%).

42%work in town

	Charleston	South Carolina towns	U.S. towns
Work from home	19%	8.6%	11%
Median household income	$92,000	$57,000	$80,000
Below the poverty line	12%	17%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Charleston42%

North Charleston17%

Mount Pleasant9%

Columbia2%

Kiawah Island1%

7 mi

median commute distance

104,618

jobs based in Charleston

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns

Full pageCharleston’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here104,618 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work42% work in Charleston Commute times24 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 7 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Charleston

20pages on Charleston

The big questions

SchoolsB⁺Beat 73% of SC districts · 56 schools SafetyC⁻2.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthABetter than SC on 23 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingC⁻$588K typical home · up 1.4% in a year Work & commuteB⁺$92K median household income · 104,618 jobs here Natural hazardsD⁻FEMA risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities · hurricanes

Out and about

OutdoorsA⁻89 mi of trails · 12% conserved land PlacesAttractions37 nearby · Angel Oak under 1 mi LibraryBJohn L. Dart Library CollegesCollege of Charleston, in town

The story

HistoryASettled 1670 · 112 on the National Register Famous people17 born in Charleston Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 76 residents Climate90° summer highs

Day to day

News8 recent stories about Charleston WeatherHandbookZIP code 29401, 29402, 29403 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

7 within 15 miles of the center of Charleston

College of CharlestonUniversity or college · Public · CharlestonIn town$12,978 in-state tuition Medical University of South CarolinaUniversity or college · Public · CharlestonIn town Trident Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Charleston7.7 mi$4,546 in-state tuition

About 9 of every 100 Charleston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A growing town

Charleston has grown 32% since 2010

120,083 counted in 2010 and 150,227 in 2020; an estimated 159,423 in 2025.

Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.8% since 2020, after 25.1% in the decade before.

120,0832010

150,2272020

159,4232025 est.

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025

Landmarks

112 places in Charleston on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Charleston Historic DistrictNational Historic Landmark

Clark Mills StudioNational Historic Landmark

Drayton HallNational Historic Landmark

Miles Brewton HouseNational Historic Landmark

Famous people from Charleston

17 notable people were born in Charleston.

See all 17 →

Andy DickAmerican comedian and actor · born 1965

Robert F. FurchgottAmerican biochemist · 1916–2009

Robert JordanAmerican fantasy writer · 1948–2007

James F. ByrnesAmerican politician · 1882–1972

Catherine ColemanAmerican astronaut, chemist, United States Air Force officer · born 1960

Will PattonAmerican actor · born 1954

About Charleston

City in South Carolina, United States

Official town website ↗

Charleston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the confluence of the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando rivers. Charleston had a population of 150,227 at the 2020 census, while the Charleston metropolitan area, comprising Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, has an estimated 870,000 residents. It ranks as the third-most-populous metropolitan area in the state and the 71st-most-populous in the U.S. It is the county seat of Charleston County. Charleston was founded by the English in 1670 as Charles Town, named in honor o…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1670
Area: 128 sq mi
Elevation: 20 ft
ZIP code: 29401, 29402, 29403
Area code: 843

Charleston’s neighbors

7 towns share a border with Charleston.

Explore the map →

How the neighbors grade

Town	SC rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
Charleston	#57	B⁻	C⁻	C⁻	B⁺	A
James Island	#4	A	C⁺	—	A	A⁺
Hollywood	#74	C⁺	C⁻	—	A	B⁻
Folly Beach	—	—	C⁻	C	A	A
North Charleston	#106	C	C⁺	D⁻	A	B⁻
Mount Pleasant	#21	B⁺	D	B⁻	A	A⁺
Goose Creek	#53	B⁻	C⁺	C⁺	B⁻	B⁺
Hanahan	#64	B⁻	C⁺	B⁻	B⁻	B

Folly Beach has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. James Island and Hollywood report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Charleston with a neighbor →

Questions about Charleston

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Charleston, SC a good place to live?

Charleston grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #57 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades A for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is Charleston, SC safe?