Demographics · SC
Charleston, SC demographics: 154,338 residents, with a median age of 36.6 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
154,338 people live in Charleston, at a median age of 36.6 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 36.6 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Charleston, the largest race group is White (73.7%); 6.1% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 6.0% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Charleston is 36.6 years (±0.6), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 47.7% male and 52.3% female. The largest age band is 25 to 34 at 18.4%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 7,463 | 4.8% | ±782 |
| 5 to 17 | 19,221 | 12.5% | ±1,366 |
| 18 to 24 | 18,171 | 11.8% | ±1,022 |
| 25 to 34 | 28,343 | 18.4% | ±1,444 |
| 35 to 44 | 21,805 | 14.1% | ±1,243 |
| 45 to 54 | 16,367 | 10.6% | ±947 |
| 55 to 64 | 17,594 | 11.4% | ±1,223 |
| 65 to 74 | 14,890 | 9.6% | ±985 |
| 75 and over | 10,484 | 6.8% | ±818 |
Median age by sex: 35.0 (male) · 38.0 (female).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Charleston is White at 73.7% of the population. Separately, 6.1% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 113,784 | 73.7% | ±2,230 |
| Black or African American alone | 24,392 | 15.8% | ±1,811 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 1,108 | 0.7% | ±685 · low precision |
| Asian alone | 2,921 | 1.9% | ±583 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 156 | 0.1% | ±118 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 2,847 | 1.8% | ±862 |
| Two or more races | 9,130 | 5.9% | ±1,186 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 9,351 | 6.1% | ±1,303 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Charleston has 68,027 households. 51.9% are family households and 34.6% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.18 people.
Total households
68,027
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.18
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.04
Family households
51.9%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
34.6%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 68,027 | ±1,349 |
| Family households | 35,318 | ±979 |
| Nonfamily households | 32,709 | ±1,471 |
| Householder living alone | 23,549 | ±1,330 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
6.0% of Charleston residents were born outside the United States. 92.2% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (4.1%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 6.0% | 9,253 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 92.2% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 4.1% | Spanish · 6,038 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
58.3% of adults age 25 and over in Charleston hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 58.3% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Charleston is 4513330. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.