Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades B−, ranked 53rd of 167 in South Carolina. The median household earns $88K. Goose Creek’s median rent is $1,690 a month, against $1,058 a month in South Carolina’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Goose Creek has 3 places on the National Register. The biggest park or preserve is Websters Park, at 33 acres.
Where Goose Creek beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
35,938 counted in 2010 and 45,946 in 2020; an estimated 52,010 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 12.9% since 2020, after 27.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Goose Creek is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
St. James' Church, Goose Creek is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 3,825 in 1970, 45,946 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1710 and 4 maps from 1920 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Goose Creek. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi MuseumH. L. Hunley
Big draw15 mi MuseumUSS Yorktown
15 mi MuseumUSS Laffey
20 mi Park & preserveAngel Oak
20 mi LandmarkFort Wagner
16 mi DamThe BatteryH. 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Goose Creek, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Goose Creek.
Goose Creek has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings and has added a third more jobs in ten years, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
39 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. Goose Creek’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Goose Creek | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. John McCants Veterans Park | 0.7 mi | 12 |
| 2. Lake Greenview Park | 0.5 mi | 8 |
| 3. Websters Park | 0.2 mi | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Berkeley 01 school district. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolyn Lewis SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,078 | – |
| Stratford HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,605 | A− |
| Howe Hall AIMS ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 418 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of South Carolina towns, with expected losses of about $575 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 57 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Goose Creek.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 7,644 in 2013 to 10,784.
Most working residents leave Goose Creek for work: only 7% work in town. 6.5% of residents live below the poverty line in Goose Creek. Since 2013, Goose Creek has added 3,140 jobs, to 10,784 in 2023.
| Goose Creek | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 8.6% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Goose Creek beats the South Carolina average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 12% of Goose Creek adults report frequent physical distress.
| Goose Creek | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 40% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 12% |
| What stands out | Goose Creek | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.7% | 3.9% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 75% | 80.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 18 to 34 are 30% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 12% of residents (19% statewide). Goose Creek has grown 13% since 2020, to 52,010 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Carolina.
| Goose Creek | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 23% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.4 points. Across South Carolina, 51.3% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 65% are men (SC 51%). Median age: women 36.7, men 30.9.
| Goose Creek | SC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 15.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 12.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.8% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.4% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.6% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.7% | 28.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.9% | 19.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.1% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.1% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.7% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Goose Creek has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Goose Creek is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 855 to 764 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 76% of towns.
| Goose Creek | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.3 per 1,000 residents | 21.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Goose Creek home is worth about $324,000, about the same as a year ago, 7% above the South Carolina typical home.
| Goose Creek | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 45% | 52% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 65% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Goose Creek
About 5 of every 100 Goose Creek residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Carolina.
Where Goose Creek’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in South Carolina, United States
Goose Creek is the most populous city in Berkeley County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 45,946 at the 2020 census, making it the 7th-most populous city in the state. Most of Naval Support Activity Charleston is in Goose Creek. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used only by the U.S. Census Bureau and other federal agencies for statistical purposes, Goose Creek is included within the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Goose Creek.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Charleston (B−) comes closest.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Creek | #53 | B− | C+ | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Hanahan | #64 | B− | C+ | B− | B− | B |
| Ladson | #63 | B− | B− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Charleston | #57 | B− | C− | C− | B+ | A |
| North Charleston | #106 | C | C+ | D− | A | B− |
Ladson reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Goose Creek with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Goose Creek grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #53 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within South Carolina, it does better than 76% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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