Charleston County, South Carolina

• White (non-Hispanic) 270,977 64.5%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 30,143 7.2%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 95,215 22.7%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 7,411 1.8%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 14,242 3.4%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 292 0.1%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 249 0.1%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 1,735 0.4%

• Under 18 81,885 19.5%
• 18–24 34,782 8.3%
• 25–44 126,353 30.1%
• 45–64 102,216 24.3%
• 65 and over 75,028 17.9%

Median household income

$92,635

90% interval $88,856–$96,414

+$20,128 vs SC · 2nd of 46

Below poverty line

10.3%

90% interval 8.8%–11.8%

−3.0 pp vs SC · 40th of 46

Unemployment (12-mo)

3.7%

−1.01 pp vs. state

County GDP

$50.5B

14.13% of state

Avg. annual pay

$72,198

Establishments

22,691

• Education & health services 67,539 23.8%
• Trade, transportation & utilities 50,709 17.9%
• Professional & business services 44,617 15.7%
• Leisure & hospitality 42,150 14.8%
• Manufacturing 17,383 6.1%
• Construction 16,662 5.9%
• Public administration 16,511 5.8%
• Financial activities 14,947 5.3%
• Other services 7,669 2.7%
• Information 4,285 1.5%
• Natural resources & mining 317 0.1%
• Unclassified 2 0.0%

Home ownership

63.9%

−8.0 pp vs SC · 42nd of 46

Median gross rent

$1,620

+$440 vs SC · 3rd of 46

Owner-occupied

114,350

Renter-occupied

64,625

• Moderately concentrated

  Top three sectors employ 57% of the county workforce. Substantial intra-sector overlap among panelists is likely; confirm employer relationships before sector-specific framing.

• Moderate wage spread

  Highest-paid sector (Financial activities, $115,483/yr) pays 3.4× the lowest (Leisure & hospitality, $34,214/yr). Expect meaningful income variation across the panel.

• Mixed business scale

  Average establishment employs 13 workers, a mix of institutional employers and small businesses. Both employed-by-large-institution and small-business-owner perspectives are likely on the panel.

• Democratic 111,427 51.9%
• Republican 99,265 46.3%
• Other / third-party 3,829 1.8%

• Spanish 21,185 5.3%
• French, Haitian, or Cajun 2,083 0.5%
• Russian, Polish, or other Slavic 1,482 0.4%
• German or other West Germanic 1,280 0.3%
• Chinese 1,070 0.3%
• Tagalog 934 0.2%
• Vietnamese 854 0.2%
• Arabic 697 0.2%
• Korean 174 0.0%

Households

178,975

Family households

103,745

58.0% of households

Married couples w/ children

28,492

27.5% of families

Single-mother families

8,341

8.0% of families

Veterans

27,518

8.2% of civilians 18+

• Evangelical Protestant 69,048 16.9%
• Catholic 49,788 12.2%
• Black Protestant 40,919 10.0%
• Mainline Protestant 33,695 8.3%
• Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 11,500 2.8%
• Orthodox 1,530 0.4%

Health insured

91.7%

±0.6 pp

Uninsured

8.3%

±0.6 pp

40th of 46

With a disability

11.2%

±0.5 pp

45th of 46

Bachelor's or higher

50.3%

±1.1 pp

+18.2 pp vs SC · 1st of 46

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

9.5%

90% interval 8.8%–10.2% · Census SAHIE

The under-65 uninsured rate is not comparable to the ACS insurance figures, which cover all ages.

Trial court

9th Judicial Circuit Court

Judges

5 (Resident Circuit Court judgeships authorized for this circuit by S.C. Code Ann. 14-5-610, as amended by 2026 Act No. 154. Authorized seats, not seated judges; South Carolina also elects at-large circuit judges statewide who are not counted in any circuit.)

Court seats

Charleston, Moncks Corner

This judicial district spans multiple counties.

Traffic fatalities

61

18.03 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

55