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EconPulse

Local economy signal dashboard

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PLACEThriving

North Charleston, SC

Thriving overall. Federal Funds is the clearest support signal, while jobs needs the most attention. Housing reads as affordable for a median-income household.

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Overall score75out of 100
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94
62
82
62
100

Population

119,913

Data freshness

Unknown

GDP / Output

+7.9% YoY

94

$50.5B

Output changed +7.9% in 2024.

Vintage date unknown

State growth7.2%
U.S. growth5.3%

Jobs

Unemployment rate

62

4.3%

Unemployment is 4.3% for Latest available.

Vintage date unknown

State avg4.9%
U.S. avg5.2%

Population

+5.3% 5-year

82

119,913

Population moved +5.3% over the latest ACS window.

Vintage date unknown

State population5,296,225
U.S. population334,922,499

Housing

Rent share of income

62

27.3%

Median rent consumes 27.3% of median household income: Affordable.

Vintage date unknown

State rent$1.2K
U.S. rent$1.4K
HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

Federal Funds

$12.6K per resident

100

$5.1B

$5.1B in federal obligations flowed here in FY2025.

Vintage date unknown

State total$137.1B
U.S. total$5.3T

Population and output

Trend Snapshot

Reported share

Industry Breakdown

FY2025

Federal Money

Federal obligations

$5.1B

$12.6K per resident in reported federal flow.

Top agencies

Dollars
1. Social Security Administration$2.1B
2. Department of Defense$1.5B
3. Department of Veterans Affairs$381.5M

Top recipients

Dollars
1. MERCEDES-BENZ VANS, LLC$285.0M
2. AMENTUM SERVICES, INC.$238.9M
3. DETYENS SHIPYARDS INC$213.7M

Affordable

Housing Affordability

27.3%

of median income

1BR estimate$1,173
2BR estimate$1,544
Median income$62,956
Median home value$302,200

ACS context

Quick Facts

Population

119,913

Median age

34.6

Bachelor's degree+

28.6%

Poverty rate

14.4%

Labor force participation

69.4%

Prime rate

6.8%

CPI YoY

+3.2%

U.S. GDP YoY

+6.5%

Sources and warnings

Data Provenance

Census ACS 5-year

2024

BLS LAUS / CPS

Latest available

BEA regional CAGDP1

2024

USAspending

FY2025

FRED

2026-07-30

HUD Fair Market Rent

Latest available

Data notes
  • HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

5-year compound growth

Historical Trends

Population CAGR

+1.0%

GDP CAGR

+8.4%

Federal flow

5 years

Population (5 years)
2020113,880
2021114,542
2022115,755
2023117,460
2024119,913
GDP (5 years)
2020$33.7B
2021$36.8B
2022$41.8B
2023$46.8B
2024$50.5B

2-year linear forecast

Predictive Outlook

Population forecast

2024119,913
2025120,805 *
2026122,304 *

R² = 95.0% · * projected

GDP forecast

2024$50.5B
2025$55.0B *
2026$59.3B *

R² = 99.4% · * projected

Linear regression over available historical data. Projections are estimates based on past trends and do not account for policy changes, economic shocks, or other external factors.

housing affordability breakdown

Cost of Living

Median household income$62,956/yr
Median rent$1,430/mo
Rent share of income27.3%
Est. mortgage (30yr, 6.5%)$18,337/yr
Mortgage share of income29.1%

Rent data from Census ACS 5-year. Mortgage estimate assumes 20% down, 6.5% APR, 30-year fixed.

employment snapshot

Job Market

Unemployment rate4.3%
State avg4.9%
U.S. avg5.2%
Labor force participation69.4%
Poverty rate14.4%

Data from BLS LAUS / CPS. Latest available.

valuation snapshot

Real Estate

Median home value$302,200
Median monthly rent$1,430
Price-to-rent ratio17.6x

Moderate price-to-rent ratio — buying and renting are roughly balanced in this market.

composite score

Investment Climate

Investment climateStrong
Composite score79/100
Economic growth94/100
Labor market62/100
Population momentum82/100
Overall stability75/100

Composite score weighs economic growth, labor market health, population momentum, and overall stability. Not financial advice.

Location Context

North Charleston city, South Carolina

City/Town

Part of

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Nearby locations

Hanahan, SCGoose Creek, SCLadson, SCLincolnville, SCCharleston, SC