Charleston metropolitan area, South Carolina

Last updated
Charleston Metropolitan Area
Charleston–North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
East Battery Street Charleston Aug2010.jpg
The Battery in Charleston
Charleston metropolitan area, South Carolina
Interactive Map of Charleston–North Charleston, SC
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Country Flag of United States.svg United States
State Flag of South Carolina.svg South Carolina
Largest city Charleston
Other cities
Area
  Total2,590 sq mi (6,700 km2)
Population
  Total799,636
  Rank 74th in the U.S.
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)

The Charleston metropolitan area is an urban area centered around Charleston, South Carolina. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area used for statistical purposes only by the United States Census Bureau and other federal agencies. The OMB defines the area as comprising Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, an area with 799,636 residents in the 2020 census. [1] Principal cities include Charleston, North Charleston, and Summerville. The area is commonly referred to as the Tri-County Area or the Lowcountry, though the latter term has historically referred to South Carolina's southern coast in general.

Contents

Area

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1900 80,006
1910 88,59410.7%
1920 108,45022.4%
1930 101,050−6.8%
1940 121,10519.8%
1950 164,85636.1%
1960 278,96169.2%
1970 336,12520.5%
1980 430,46228.1%
1990 506,87517.8%
2000 549,0338.3%
2010 664,60721.1%
2020 799,63620.3%
2022 (est.)830,5293.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [2]

Counties

Charleston Metropolitan Area

County2021 Estimate2020 CensusChange
Charleston County 413,024408,235+1.17%
Berkeley County 236,701229,861+2.98%
Dorchester County 163,327161,540+1.11%
Total813,052799,636+1.68%

Largest cities and towns

RankCity / townCounty2020 Census2010 CensusChange
1 Charleston Charleston County / Berkeley County 150,227128,563+16.85%
2 North Charleston Berkeley County / Charleston County / Dorchester County 114,85297,471+17.83%
3 Mount Pleasant Charleston County 90,80167,843+33.84%
4 Summerville Dorchester County / Berkeley County / Charleston County 50,91543,392+17.34%
5 Goose Creek Berkeley County 45,94635,938+27.85%
6 Hanahan Berkeley County 20,32517,997+12.94%
7 Moncks Corner Berkeley County 13,2977,885+68.64%
8 James Island Charleston County 11,62111,231+3.47%
9 Hollywood Charleston County 5,3394,714+13.26%
10 Isle of Palms Charleston County 4,3474,133+5.18%

Communities

Places with more than 100,000 inhabitants

Places with 25,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

Places with 5,000 to 25,000 inhabitants

Places with 1,000 to 5,000 inhabitants

Places with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

Unincorporated places

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 549,033 people, 227,957 households, and 161,448 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 65.10% White, 30.80% African American, 0.41% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.

The median income for a household in the MSA was $40,345, and the median income for a family was $47,186. Males had a median income of $33,229 versus $24,118 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $19,037.

Armed Forces

Portions of the Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area (The City of Charleston, The City of North Charleston, The City of Goose Creek, and The City of Hanahan) are home to all branches of the United States Military. During the Cold War, the Naval Base (1902-1996) became the third largest U.S. homeport serving over 80 ships and submarines. In addition, the Charleston Naval Shipyard repaired frigates, destroyers, cruisers, sub tenders, and submarines. Also, the Shipyard was responsible for refueling nuclear subs.

During this period, the Weapons Station was the Atlantic Fleet's load out base for all nuclear ballistic missile submarines. Two SSBN "Boomer" squadrons and a sub tender were homeported at the Weapons Station, while one SSN attack squadron, Submarine Squadron 4, and a sub tender were homeported at the Naval Base. At the 1996 closure of the Station's Polaris Missile Facility Atlantic (POMFLANT), over 2,500 nuclear warheads and their UGM-27 Polaris, UGM-73 Poseidon, and UGM-96 Trident I delivery missiles (SLBM) were stored and maintained, guarded by a U.S. Marine Corps Security Force Company.

In 2010, the Air Force Base (3,877 acres) and Naval Weapons Station (>17,000 acres) merged to form Joint Base Charleston. Today, Joint Base Charleston, encompassing over 20,877 acres and supporting 53 Military Commands and Federal Agencies, provides service to over 79,000 Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, DOD civilians, dependents, and retirees.

Air Force

Marines

Coast Guard

Army

Federal Complex (former Charleston Naval Base), North Charleston

L*Passport Service Center, U.S. Department of State

See also

Related Research Articles

References

  1. "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  2. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2013.