• county
  • FIPS 45019
  • Largest town: Charleston

Charleston County, South Carolina

Charleston County had 431,001 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 918.2 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 46 in South Carolina by population and 7th by land area.

Population
431,001
#2 of 46 in South Carolina · #173 in US
Area
918.2 sq mi
#7 of 46 in South Carolina · #801 in US
Density
469 / sq mi
#3 of 46 in South Carolina · #292 in US
Median household income
$88,111
#1 of 46 in South Carolina · #274 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Charleston County within South Carolina. Pin: Columbia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Charleston County

Charleston County population, land area and income

Charleston County had 431,001 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 918.2 square miles of land. It ranks 2nd of 46 in South Carolina by population and 7th by land area. That works out to 469.4 people per square mile, 4.9 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in South Carolina has 60,098 residents, so Charleston County is 7.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $88,111 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

431,001

3144th1st

173rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

918 sq mi

3144th1st

801st of 3,144 (US)

Density

469.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

292nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$88,111

3143rd1st

274th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Carolina (46)

Population

431,001

46th1st

2nd of 46 (SC)

Land area

918 sq mi

46th1st

7th of 46 (SC)

Density

469.4 / sq mi

46th1st

3rd of 46 (SC)

Median household income

$88,111

46th1st

1st of 46 (SC)

How Charleston County's population changed since 2020

Charleston County gained 21,043 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 5.1%. That ranks 15th of 46 in South Carolina for growth. The median South Carolina county changed by +2.9%, and the state as a whole by +6.8%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Charleston County recorded 21,162 births and 16,218 deaths, a natural change of +4,944. Net international migration added +7,043 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +10,393. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 10,393 people.

410.0k2020414.6k2021420.0k2022425.8k2023431.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
21,162
Deaths
16,218
Net international migration
+7,043
Net domestic migration
+10,393
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+5,196

Where Charleston County is

The Census internal point of Charleston County is at 32.800500, -79.942500. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades South Carolina's 46 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Charleston County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Union County: -1.9%Chester County: +0.1%Lee County: -3.6%Bamberg County: -2.9%Barnwell County: -0.5%Horry County: +16.9%Allendale County: -4.8%Chesterfield County: +2.9%Clarendon County: +0.6%Edgefield County: +14.7%Georgetown County: +4.0%McCormick County: +4.8%Pickens County: +4.9%Richland County: +3.6%Newberry County: +3.9%Spartanburg County: +12.1%Sumter County: -0.7%Marlboro County: -3.8%Berkeley County: +14.2%Charleston County: +5.1%Laurens County: +4.3%Saluda County: +2.9%Anderson County: +6.4%Dorchester County: +7.8%Dillon County: -2.5%Oconee County: +4.7%Beaufort County: +7.4%Cherokee County: +2.7%Greenville County: +8.2%York County: +6.7%Colleton County: +1.9%Darlington County: -0.7%Calhoun County: +1.0%Jasper County: +22.2%Marion County: -2.5%Fairfield County: -2.4%Hampton County: -1.9%Lancaster County: +15.6%Orangeburg County: -1.0%Aiken County: +6.0%Greenwood County: +0.9%Florence County: +0.9%Abbeville County: +1.4%Lexington County: +6.4%Kershaw County: +9.3%Williamsburg County: -3.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < +1.0%
  3. < +4.3%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Charleston County internal point. Dark pin: Columbia.

Internal point

Decimal
32.800500, -79.942500
DMS
32°48'1.80"N 79°56'33.00"W
UTM
17N 599011.3E 3629665.7N
Geohash
djz4sg5su
Plus code
8742R325+62

Towns in Charleston County

15 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Charleston County, 371,649 people together, or 86% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Charleston County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Charleston with 141,306.

  1. 01Charleston (part)141,306
  2. 02Mount Pleasant95,604
  3. 03North Charleston (part)94,767
  4. 04James Island12,451
  5. 05Hollywood5,503
  6. 06Isle of Palms4,377
  7. 07Ravenel2,688
  8. 08Summerville (part)2,649
  9. 09Seabrook Island2,135
  10. 10Folly Beach2,084
  11. 11Kiawah Island2,003
  12. 12Sullivan's Island1,948
  13. 13Awendaw1,472
  14. 14Meggett1,453
  15. 15Lincolnville (part)1,209
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Charleston County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Charleston County. The most populous is Berkeley County, SC, with 264,276 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Columbia and the nearest big city

Columbia is 104.2 miles NW of Charleston County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Charleston, SC (population 157,665), 2.6 miles away.

Charleston County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Charleston County is 45019: state code 45 for South Carolina plus county code 019. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $88,111.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Charleston County, South Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 431,001. That is up 21,043 people (5.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 409,958.

What is the FIPS code of Charleston County?

45019. The first two digits (45) are South Carolina; the last three (019) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Charleston County?

Charleston, with 141,306 residents inside Charleston County in 2024 (157,665 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Charleston County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Berkeley County, SC; Dorchester County, SC; Georgetown County, SC; Colleton County, SC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.