How serious are America’s mayors? · Incorporated city
Charleston, SC
157,665 people, 2024 · Census GEOID 4513330 · Census profile · mayors: being verified
Overall in 2023, Charleston ranked #90 of 340 cities and 3rd of 14 in its peer group, on 8 of 9 measures. Weigh the measures yourself · how ranks are made
Its peer group is Charleston and the 13 cities most like it in 2005 (size, income, poverty, industry, growth, density, place), fixed since: Columbia SC, Killeen TX, Norman OK, High Point NC, Fayetteville AR, Wilmington NC, Peoria IL, North Charleston SC, Murfreesboro TN, Lakeland FL, Roanoke VA, Beaumont TX, Kansas City KS · on the map, and why
| Topline | 2005–2024 | Latest rank | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rankamong all cities with a score that year | #90 of 340 cities · 3rd of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | #145 | #290 | #144 | #194 | #190 | #179 | #199 | #159 | #59 | #119 | #83 | #81 | #65 | #86 | #155 | #283 | #141 | #133 | #90 | #64 | |
| people · size, not ranked | 110,769 | 112,426 | 113,985 | 116,290 | 118,503 | 120,700 | 123,012 | 125,223 | 127,246 | 129,434 | 132,413 | 134,453 | 135,626 | 136,111 | 137,566 | 151,065 | 152,116 | 154,291 | 156,263 | 157,665 | ||
| net movers per 100 residents · estimate · higher is better | #67 of 340 cities · 6th of 14 in its peer group | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.7 | +0.8 | — | +1.2 | +1.3 | +1.3 | +1.4 | +1.8 | +1.3 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.3 | |
| new homes per 1,000 residents · higher is better | #45 of 278 cities with data · 5th of 13 in its peer group with data · 2007 | 19.7 | 12.3 | 9.8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| rent as % of income · lower is better | #123 of 340 cities · 6th of 14 in its peer group | 26.2% | 21.7% | 20.2% | 20.6% | 22.9% | 22.5% | 23.0% | 23.3% | 21.2% | 22.5% | 21.7% | 22.0% | 23.4% | 22.0% | 20.8% | — | 22.6% | 23.6% | 21.8% | 23.1% | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #129 of 304 cities with data · 3rd of 14 in its peer group | 10.8 | 20.5 | 13.2 | 12.0 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 8.9 | 9.6 | 5.5 | 7.0 | 12.1 | 8.2 | 4.4 | 7.3 | 5.8 | 11.3 | 11.2 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 4.4 | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #181 of 295 cities with data · 4th of 13 in its peer group with data | 129.1 | 120.1 | 109.7 | 83.4 | 67.5 | 55.5 | 36.6 | 31.9 | 31.4 | 35.5 | 43.0 | 53.6 | 55.3 | 61.7 | 90.1 | 110.5 | 117.0 | 100.5 | 100.5 | 83.7 | |
| jobs · size, not ranked | 82,873 | 79,988 | 90,216 | 91,695 | 87,944 | 91,383 | 92,530 | 90,811 | 94,114 | 96,459 | 100,196 | 103,740 | 105,787 | 105,959 | 103,635 | 97,737 | 99,240 | 109,062 | 113,300 | — | ||
| points ahead of the metro · higher is better | #246 of 329 cities with data · 12th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | +3.7 | -4.5 | +5.4 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +2.7 | -4.1 | -3.9 | +2.1 | -1.6 | +0.2 | -0.4 | -0.3 | -3.7 | -3.7 | -1.9 | -0.2 | +3.4 | -1.1 | — | |
| people · size, not ranked | — | — | — | — | — | — | 57,985 | 65,904 | 66,529 | 69,580 | 75,706 | 75,005 | 75,738 | 77,975 | 75,475 | — | 80,671 | 86,756 | 88,227 | 87,365 | ||
| % of workforce · lower is better | #43 of 340 cities · 4th of 14 in its peer group | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10.3% | 8.1% | 6.7% | 6.1% | 4.5% | 4.4% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 2.7% | — | 4.2% | 3.7% | 2.6% | 3.4% | |
| % of promises funded · not ranked: 38 cities report | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| surplus as % of revenue · higher is better | #7 of 314 cities with data · 1st of 14 in its peer group | 36% | 23% | 18% | 25% | 18% | 12% | 20% | 31% | 34% | 35% | 39% | 36% | 39% | 39% | 21% | 18% | 21% | 24% | 45% | 50% | |
| dollars per resident · lower is better | #276 of 314 cities with data · 12th of 14 in its peer group | $6,465 | $12,382 | $13,692 | $12,782 | $14,321 | $7,883 | $7,797 | $6,714 | $6,432 | $4,734 | $3,169 | $1,669 | $248 | $0 | $7,388 | $6,297 | $5,643 | $9,325 | $6,576 | $6,442 |
Click a row for its source and its rank in every year. 1st is best whichever way the measure points. A rank is out of all 340 cities, or out of its peer group of 14; where some had no value that year it says “with data” and counts only those. An em dash is a year the source does not hold for Charleston. A greyed homicide figure is a year the FBI holds as a transition year for this department. What each row is, and is not, is on the main page, with a link to every source in Sources.