Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, the population was 408,235, making it the third-most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). Its county seat is Charleston. It is also the largest county in the state by total area, although Horry County has a larger land area. The county was created in 1800 by an act of the South Carolina State Legislature. Charleston County is included in the Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area. It is in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina.

History

Charleston County was chartered in 1785 but was quickly dissolved after disputes by the residents about governance. The county was later redrawn in 1798 with the boundary lines taking effect on January 1, 1800. The county seat and largest city in both the county and state is Charleston. Both the county and town was named after King Charles II.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (32.40%) is water. It is the largest county in South Carolina by total land and water area.

National protected areas Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge (part) Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Francis Marion National Forest (part) Little Wambaw Swamp Wilderness Wambaw Creek Wilderness (part) Wambaw Swamp Wilderness

State and local protected areas/sites

Angel Oak Tree Bird Key - Stono Seabird Sanctuary Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area Buzzard Island Heritage Preserve Capers Island Heritage Preserve Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site Deveaux Bank Seabird Sanctuary Dungannon Plantation Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area Edisto Beach State Park Folly Beach County Park Fort Lamar Heritage Preserve Hampton Plantation State Historic Site James Island County Park Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve Magnolia Plantation and Gardens Morris Island Lighthouse North Charleston Wannamaker County Park Santee Coastal Reserve Wildlife Management Area Stono River County Park Waterfront Park

Major water bodies Ashley River Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Ocean) Cooper River Intracoastal Waterway Kiawah River South Edisto River South Santee River Stono River Wando River

Adjacent counties Berkeley County – north Georgetown County – northeast Colleton County – west Dorchester County – northwest

Major highways

Major infrastructure Charleston International Airport (joint civil-military airport; also home to Boeing South Carolina) North Charleston Station Port of Charleston

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Charleston County, South Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)176,370185,343188,542217,260263,56063.68%62.82%60.83%62.04%64.56%Black or African American alone (NH)94,246102,522106,337103,47991,74634.03%34.75%34.31%29.55%22.47%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4116447128388570.15%0.22%0.23%0.24%0.21%Asian alone (NH)1,8922,5343,4104,6607,4610.68%0.86%1.10%1.33%1.83%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census142246319xx0.05%0.07%0.08%Other race alone (NH)3501233394711,5330.13%0.04%0.11%0.13%0.38%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census3,0534,37813,479xx0.98%1.25%3.30%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3,7053,8737,43418,87729,2801.34%1.31%2.40%5.39%7.17%Total276,974295,039309,969350,209408,235 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 408,235 people, 173,572 households, and 95,785 families residing in the county.

The median age was 38.3 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 65.8% White, 22.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.8% from some other race, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.2% of the population.

90.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.1% lived in rural areas.

Among the 173,572 households in the county, 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 201,884 housing units, of which 14.0% were vacant; 60.7% of occupied units were owner-occupied and 39.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.8%.

2010 census At the 2010 census, there were 350,209 people, 144,309 households, and 85,692 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 169,984 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 64.2% white, 29.8% black or African American, 1.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.4% of the population. In terms of claimed ancestry, 11.3% were German, 11.0% were English, 10.2% were Irish, and 9.8% were American.

Of the 144,309 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.6% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 35.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,433 and the median income for a family was $61,525. Males had a median income of $42,569 versus $34,195 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,401. About 11.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census At the 2000 census, there were 309,969 people, 143,326 households, and 97,448 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 141,031 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 61.9% White, 34.5% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 2.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.6% were of American, 9.5% English, 9.1% German and 7.6% Irish ancestry.

There were 123,326 households, out of which 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.20% were married couples living together, 15.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.20% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the age distribution of the population shows 23.70% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $37,810, and the median income for a family was $47,139. Males had a median income of $32,681 versus $25,530 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,393. About 12.40% of families and 16.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.90% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over.

In the 2000 census, the county population was classified as about 86% urban. The Charleston-North Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the populations of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties. Law and government From 1895 to 1973, when the state constitution was amended to provide for home rule in the counties, the counties had limited powers, under what was called "county purpose doctrine."Charlie B. Tyler, "The South Carolina Governance Project", University of South Carolina, 1998, p. 221 Essentially the General Assembly governed the counties through their state legislative delegations and, with one state senator per county, the state senator was particularly powerful. In the 1940s, Charleston County adopted a council-manager form of county government to better handle its needs.Tyler (1998), "The South Carolina Governance Project"], p. 222 In 1975 the state's Home Rule Act established a larger role for the county governments.

Charleston County has a large geographic area represented by a nine-member county council. From the turn of the 20th century into the 1960s, most African Americans were excluded from voting by the state's disenfranchising constitution and discriminatory practices. This gradually changed after passage of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Since 1969, members of the county commission have been elected in a modified at-large system for nine seats from four residency districts. Elections are held every two years for staggered four-year terms. Three Council seats are reserved for residents of the City of Charleston, three for residents of North Charleston, two for residents of West Ashley, and one for residents of East Cooper.UNITED STATES v. CHARLESTON COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA (Decided: 29 April 2004) , US Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, accessed January 22, 2015 The council elects a chairman from its members for a limited term of two years, but chairs can be re-elected.

Charleston County was "one of only three counties in South Carolina to elect its entire county council at-large. It was "the only county with a majority white population to do so." At-large positions favor candidates who can attract a majority of the votes, reducing representation from smaller portions of the population, or geographic areas.

In 1989 county residents proposed a referendum to change representation on the county council to election from single-member districts, which would have provided more opportunity for the sizable minority to elect candidates of their choice. This proposal was narrowly defeated in what both the county and the US government later defined as a racially polarized election. It was supported by 98% of the African-American minority voters; 75% of the white-majority voters rejected the referendum. In practice, the at-large system results in the dilution of votes of the significant minority of African-American voters, who comprise more than one-third of the electorate. In practice, the minority voters have been unable to elect a candidate of their choice in all but a few elections in the three decades since the system was established.