Housing Value★★★★★★★★★★2.7 / 5Home values compared with local household income.
Living in Charleston, SC
Explore Charleston and see how it fits the life you want to build.
154,338
Population
Berkeley & Charleston Counties
Counties
City
Place Type
South Carolina
State
OrdinancesLocal Rules
Overall Match7.2 / 10
Baseline match from currently available location scores. Choose priorities to personalize it.
Charleston at a Glance
Key facts and current data
Population154,338
Median Household Income$92,414
Median Home Value$509,700
Median Gross Rent$1,722
Median Age36.6
Average Household Size2.2
Unemployment3.4%
Work From Home19.4%
Homeownership55.6%
Housing Vacancy12.1%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year.
Charleston is large enough to contain meaningfully different residential, commercial and employment areas rather than functioning as one uniform market. Housing costs are high relative to local household income, making affordability one of the more important factors to examine before relocating here. Unemployment is relatively low, which is a positive current labor-market signal.
Experience the Area
Experience Life in Charleston Before You Move
Explore Short-Term Stays in Charleston →Stay options powered by Stay22 · affiliate
NarrowTheList highly recommends you spend a week or two in Charleston and experience everyday life before deciding whether it is the right place to call home. Use that time to explore neighborhoods, drive your normal routes, shop where residents shop, and get a feel for the area at different times of day.
NarrowTheList Ratings
Data-driven starter ratings. More categories appear automatically as new datasets are added.
Housing & Cost of Living in Charleston
Current housing indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau
Median Home Value$509,700
Median Gross Rent$1,722
Homeownership55.6%
Housing Vacancy12.1%
Home values are relatively high compared with local household income, so purchase affordability deserves close attention. The housing mix leans toward owner-occupied homes while still supporting a meaningful rental market.
Jobs, Income & Remote Work
Employment and household-income context for Charleston, SC
Median Household Income$92,414
Unemployment3.4%
Work From Home19.4%
The reported unemployment rate is relatively low. Working from home is relatively common among employed residents.
Population & Household Profile
Who lives in Charleston and how households are structured
Population154,338
Median Age36.6
Average Household Size2.2
Charleston is a mid-sized community where neighborhood and nearby-employment patterns can materially affect a relocation decision.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year. NarrowTheList presents these values as relocation context; conditions can vary within a community.
Climate & Weather in Charleston
Long-term NOAA climate normals and practical seasonal context
NOAA climate normals for Charleston point to hot summers, cool winters, substantial annual rainfall and little to no annual snowfall.
Average Summer High87.5°F
Average Winter Low43.6°F
Annual Rainfall52.2 in.
Annual Snowfall0.3 in.
Seasonal Life in Charleston
What the long-term climate pattern may mean for everyday living.
Spring
Spring is a good time to see how wetter conditions affect drainage, yards, commuting and the usability of outdoor spaces.
Summer
Summer is warm enough that shade and cooling still matter, but the typical high is below the extreme-heat range seen in many hotter U.S. markets.
Fall
Fall can be one of the best seasons for comparing neighborhoods because daily routines are active while temperatures transition away from summer conditions.
Winter
Winter lows are relatively mild and measurable snowfall is minimal, so winter living is more likely to revolve around cool or wet conditions than snow removal and prolonged freezes.
Source: NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Seasonal descriptions are relocation context derived from the available long-term normals, not a forecast.
County Intelligence
Charleston & Its Counties
Medium
Foreclosure Activity
Charleston spans Berkeley and Charleston counties.
Living in a community that crosses county lines can make location within Charleston especially important. Property taxes, housing characteristics, public services and other county-level factors may vary depending on which part of the community you call home.
Current NarrowTheList data for Charleston shows a population of about 154,338. These local figures become more useful when read together with county-level tax, housing, foreclosure and demographic conditions rather than treated as isolated city statistics.
Foreclosure Activity: Medium. Current signal uses NarrowTheList foreclosure-opportunity data until direct county delinquency and foreclosure datasets are connected.
For someone comparing homes, county boundaries can matter because taxes, public services, court and recording systems, assessment practices and housing-market conditions are often administered or reported at the county level. NarrowTheList keeps that county relationship attached to the community so future tax, foreclosure, housing and demographic data can be interpreted in the correct geographic context.
County relationship
Berkeley County and Charleston County
How NarrowTheList uses it
NarrowTheList connects Charleston with all 2 of its counties rather than assigning the community to only one. As additional county data becomes available, those differences can be compared alongside city-level information to help identify which parts of the area may better fit your priorities.
For someone considering a move to Charleston, the available data currently points to housing affordability that deserves careful budgeting and a relatively tight labor market. These signals are most useful when considered alongside the specific neighborhood, commute and housing type that fit the household making the move.
Nearby Cities & Communities
Nearby incorporated cities, towns, villages and other municipalities shown by straight-line distance.