Exactly How Many People Move into the Charleston Region Each Day?

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By Jacki Renegar

**This is by far our most popular blog post, so we’ve updated it with 2017 numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau on March 2018.**

We keep hearing and seeing different stats shared on how many people are moving each day to the three-county Charleston metro. Here is the definitive answer, so you can feel comfortable and know you’re sharing accurate information:

The official number of new people moving (net new arrivals) into the Charleston metro is: 28 people a day.  These numbers reflect the in-migration into the three-county region: Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties.

You might have heard 38, based on the population change between 2016-2017, however; this statistic includes the number of ‘net’ new births of 10 each day. So if you want to include the babies, please say the Charleston metro adds 38 new residents daily.

The official net migration numbers are sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

As of 2017, the Charleston SC Metro Area population is 775,831, growing at 3X the U.S. population average.

With 28 people moving here a day, Charleston has moved up another spot to be the 74th largest U.S. metro by population. We are experiencing a gain of well-educated young talent, adding to the growing labor force at 4X the U.S. average, which makes Charleston the 47th fastest growing U.S. metro.

The Local Data section of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance’s website will help keep you up to speed on the Charleston metro’s demographic data. Check it out, as we routinely provide new numbers and actionable intelligence on Charleston | SC | USA.  And if you really want to data geek out with exportable charts and graphs, please visit the Charleston Regional Competitiveness Center.

Contact Us:


Jacki Renegar | Director, Research & Business Intelligence
843.212.8456 | [email protected]

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