Charleston, SC, South Carolina: Industrial Catholic Metro market. In 2024, voted R+5%. Democratic peak: D+96 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+5MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 968,1432024 5-year
- Median household income
- $81,5172024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 63.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 25.4%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 7.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+96 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+36 in 1964MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Charleston, SC
TrumpR+5
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
| Donald Trump ✓Republican | 51.8% | 246,427 |
|---|---|---|
| Kamala HarrisDemocratic | 46.5% | 221,307 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.6% | 7,745 |
D+60R+60
6 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | +20.0% |
| 1896 | +32.0% |
| 1900 | +61.6% |
| 1904 | +81.3% |
| 1908 | +72.6% |
| 1912 | +93.2% |
| 1916 | +90.9% |
| 1920 | +84.9% |
| 1924 | +83.0% |
| 1928 | +61.3% |
| 1932 | +95.6% |
| 1936 | +96.3% |
| 1940 | +76.0% |
| 1944 | +67.2% |
| 1948 | +11.8% |
| 1952 | −31.1% |
| 1956 | −4.8% |
| 1960 | −19.8% |
| 1964 | −35.7% |
| 1968 | −1.5% |
| 1972 | −33.3% |
| 1976 | +9.5% |
| 1980 | −7.9% |
| 1984 | −25.4% |
| 1988 | −19.0% |
| 1992 | −7.0% |
| 1996 | −4.9% |
| 2000 | −10.1% |
| 2004 | −10.0% |
| 2008 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | −3.1% |
| 2016 | −3.0% |
| 2020 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | −5.3% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 221,307 | 246,427 | 475,479 | ||
| D | 235,245 | 229,066 | 472,529 | ||
| R | 174,949 | 186,361 | 382,391 | ||
| R | 167,447 | 178,428 | 351,112 | ||
| D | 166,353 | 165,275 | 335,674 | ||
| R | 124,978 | 153,072 | 282,187 | ||
| R | 102,012 | 125,585 | 233,505 | ||
| R | 87,474 | 97,091 | 195,027 | ||
| R | 82,814 | 97,159 | 204,120 | ||
| R | 66,913 | 98,592 | 166,822 | ||
| R | 62,786 | 106,102 | 170,273 | ||
| R | 70,395 | 82,814 | 157,303 | ||
| D | 73,163 | 60,343 | 134,575 | ||
| R | 36,993 | 74,869 | 113,776 | ||
| R | 39,154 | 40,779 | 109,499 | ||
| R | 27,427 | 57,870 | 85,297 | ||
| R | 23,195 | 34,622 | 57,817 | ||
| O | 8,958 | 11,068 | 44,187 | ||
| R | 17,114 | 32,564 | 49,678 | ||
| O | 3,907 | 859 | 25,820 | ||
| D | 11,930 | 1,405 | 15,669 | ||
| D | 13,417 | 1,827 | 15,244 | ||
| D | 13,614 | 0 | 14,142 | ||
| D | 12,540 | 0 | 13,118 | ||
| D | 8,212 | 1,963 | 10,194 | ||
| D | 5,358 | 446 | 5,916 | ||
| D | 6,481 | 522 | 7,016 | ||
| D | 5,759 | 269 | 6,037 | ||
| D | 4,590 | 0 | 4,924 | ||
| D | 6,799 | 1,064 | 7,902 | ||
| D | 6,750 | 697 | 7,447 | ||
| D | 5,562 | 1,321 | 6,883 | ||
| D | 5,848 | 2,869 | 9,321 | ||
| D | 5,643 | 3,748 | 9,455 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
13.0%
German
10.0%
Irish
9.6%
American
7.8%
Italian
4.0%
Scottish
2.3%
French
1.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.5 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$81,517
Charleston, SC ranks near the middle of US counties.
Charleston, SC$81,517
South Carolina$69,324
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
11.9%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1817.0%
Working age (18–64)10.6%
Seniors (65+)10.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
91.8%
speak English only
Spanish5.1%
Other Indo-European1.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.1%
Other languages0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 53.6% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
The Charleston media market anchors South Carolina's Low Country, where rapid in-migration of college-educated professionals has tightened margins in suburbs that were once reliably one-sided by double digits.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of ninety-six points in 1936 and a Republican high of thirty-six points in 1964. Between 2020 and 2024 the market moved seven points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was five points.
A population of 968,143, a 63% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $81,517 describe the market.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Charleston, SC, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/dma/519/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Charleston, SC, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Charleston, SC, South Carolina voted Republican by 5.3 points (R+5), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 475,479 votes cast, 221,307 went Democratic and 246,427 went Republican.
What is Charleston, SC, South Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Charleston, SC, South Carolina in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the market has voted Democratic 17 times, Republican 15 times, and other 2 times.
When did Charleston, SC, South Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Charleston, SC, South Carolina voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Charleston, SC, South Carolina?
Charleston, SC, South Carolina has a population of 968,143 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Charleston, SC, South Carolina?
Median household income in Charleston, SC, South Carolina is $81,517 — above the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Charleston, SC, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Charleston, SC, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The market's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.