† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupCharlestonSouth CarolinaUnited States
English16.9%12.1%9.5%
German12.5%9.4%12.5%
Irish12.1%9.1%9.4%
American9.7%8.2%5.3%
Italian5.2%3.4%4.8%
Scottish2.8%2.1%1.3%
French2.4%1.1%1.6%
Polish2.3%—2.2%
African American†15.2%23.4%9.9%
African0.4%0.6%0.5%
Mexican2.8%3.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.6%1.0%1.8%
Honduran0.2%0.4%0.3%
Cuban0.2%0.3%0.7%
Guatemalan0.2%0.3%0.5%
Nicaraguan0.2%——
Spaniard0.2%——
Salvadoran0.2%—0.7%
Asian Indian0.5%0.5%1.4%
Filipino0.4%0.3%0.9%
Chinese0.4%0.2%1.3%
Vietnamese0.3%0.2%0.6%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Charleston
South Carolina
United States
Median age
36.6
40.5
39.1
Age 18–24
11.8%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
16.4%
18.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Charleston
South Carolina
United States
Median household income
$92,414
$69,324
$84,427
Poverty rate
12.3%
14.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
58.3%
32.1%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Charleston
South Carolina
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
7.8%
8.4%
22.3%
Spanish
4.1%
5.2%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Charleston
South Carolina
United States
Catholic
—
8.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
28.6%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
47.5%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Charleston, South Carolina
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−0.1%
2008
+12.5%
2012
+5.3%
2016
+11.9%
2020
+16.0%
2024
+8.2%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
53.1%Harris43,905
45.0%Trump37,148
1.9%
D+8.2
R+7.8
D+9.6
82,634
D
56.9%Biden47,239
40.9%Trump33,970
2.1%
D+16.0
D+4.1
D+11.5
82,977
D
52.2%Clinton34,554
40.3%Trump26,678
7.6%
D+11.9
D+6.6
D+9.8
66,255
D
51.8%Obama30,401
46.6%Romney27,311
1.6%
D+5.3
R+7.3
D+1.4
58,658
D
55.4%Obama31,375
42.8%McCain24,270
1.8%
D+12.5
D+12.6
D+5.3
56,668
R
49.0%Kerry24,148
49.1%Bush24,197
1.9%
R+0.1
—
D+2.4
49,277
Charleston's historic peninsula anchors a metro that has absorbed tens of thousands of new residents since 2010, gradually compressing Republican margins in municipal races while countywide contests remain more competitive than the state average.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 16.0 points in 2020 and a Republican high of 0.1 points in 2004. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 7.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 8.2 points.
A population of 154,338, a 71% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $92,414 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Lexington-Fayette urban county and Huntsville.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Charleston, South Carolina voted Democratic by 8.2 points (D+8.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 82,634 votes cast, 43,905 went Democratic and 37,148 went Republican.
When did Charleston, South Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Charleston, South Carolina voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in Charleston, South Carolina?
Charleston, South Carolina has a population of 154,338 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Charleston, South Carolina?
Median household income in Charleston, South Carolina is $92,414 — above the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Charleston, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Charleston, South Carolina from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 1 went Republican.
