Charleston, SC

Charleston city had a 2020 population of 150,227 and a 2019-2023 median household income of $90,038, while Charleston County's median household income was $84,320 (Census QuickFacts city^[1], Census QuickFacts county^[2]). Charleston County says owner-occupied legal residences are assessed at 4% of fair market value, and the county's FY2025 budget highlights show an operating millage of 41.7 mills with a county sales tax credit applied to owner-occupied property (Charleston County FAQs^[3], FY25 Budget Highlights^[4]). The county also offers a homestead exemption that removes up to $50,000 of value from the home for qualifying owner-occupants (Homestead exemption^[5]).

The local anchor is MUSC Health University Medical Center, which is open 24 hours and includes four hospitals plus South Carolina's only solid organ transplant center and a Level I Trauma Center (MUSC Health University Medical Center^[6]). Charleston County and regional sources also identify Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Trident Health, East Cooper Medical Center, and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center as major nearby systems (Charleston region healthcare^[7]). The biggest specialist care is concentrated downtown and in the surrounding metro, so retirees with complex needs generally do not need to leave the Charleston area for advanced care (MUSC Health University Medical Center^[6]).

Charleston County's 1991-2020 normals show an annual precipitation total of 44.26 inches and average temperatures of 73.3 F max, 67.2 F mean, and 61.1 F min for Charleston City (South Carolina State Climatology Office^[8]). NOAA weather data for the Charleston area show annual precipitation around 42.45 inches in 2025, with 101 days of measurable precipitation that year, underscoring the region's wet, coastal pattern (NWS Charleston climate summary^[9]). The comfortable outdoor season is generally long from late fall into spring, but midsummer humidity and tropical-weather disruption are the main constraints (South Carolina State Climatology Office^[8], NWS Charleston climate summary^[9]).

A publicly available Charleston city profile reports 279 violent offenses per 100,000 residents and 1,612 property offenses per 100,000 residents for 2025, using FBI Crime Data Explorer summarized offense counts for the city agency (AreaProfile^[10]). That same source notes the city police agency's 2025 reporting is partial-year based on monthly revisions, which means year-over-year comparisons should be treated cautiously (AreaProfile^[10]). Because FBI agency reporting can be incomplete, the safer takeaway for relocation is that Charleston is not a low-crime destination, and neighborhood-level vetting matters more than citywide averages (AreaProfile^[10]).

Charleston city listings show a median list price of $616,250 and median days on market of 56 days, with the median list price up 2.40% year over year (Realtor.com city market report^[11]). The broader Charleston-North Charleston metro posted a 4.73% one-year gain in the FHFA House Price Index in 2026 Q2, which confirms continued metro-level appreciation rather than a flat market (FHFA HPI datasets^[12]). Charleston County’s market is slightly slower and more expensive than the city snapshot, with a median listing price of $680,000 and 60 median days on market (Realtor.com county market report^[13]). For retirees, active-adult supply exists in and around the metro, including 15 55+ communities in the Charleston area and examples such as Del Webb Point Hope in Charleston and Cresswind Charleston in nearby Summerville (NewHomeSource active-adult communities^[14]).

Charleston International Airport is about 12 miles northwest of downtown Charleston and is the busiest passenger airport in South Carolina, with the IATA code CHS (Charleston Wikipedia airport section^[15], South Carolina airports overview^[16]). Nonstop destinations cited for CHS include New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Boston, Dallas, Denver, and Miami, which gives retirees practical access to both East Coast and Midwest travel (South Carolina airports overview^[16]).

The city's official visitor material identifies a municipal golf course and the Charleston area golf guide, which confirms golf is a core local recreation draw (City of Charleston visitors^[17], Official Explore Charleston guide^[18]). Within about 30 minutes, notable options include Charleston Municipal Golf Course, The Links at Stono Ferry, Shadowmoss Golf & Country Club, Patriots Point Links, and Charleston National Golf Club, giving retirees a mix of public, semi-private, and private-feel play (City of Charleston visitors^[17], Official Explore Charleston guide^[18]). Beach access, rivers, and marshland also make kayaking, fishing, and boat-oriented recreation easy to add to a golf-heavy lifestyle (City of Charleston visitors^[17]).

Census QuickFacts puts Charleston city at 150,227 residents in 2020, with 16.1% age 65 and over, while Charleston County is older at 18.5% age 65 and over (Census QuickFacts city^[1], Census QuickFacts county^[2]). Census Reporter reports a median age of 36.3 for the city, which means retirees are joining a city that still skews younger than many retirement metros (Census Reporter Charleston^[19]). City fast facts show a 2020 population of 150,227 and an MSA population of 799,636, while the official city page highlights seven miles of waterfront, parks, and museums as part of the local character (City fast facts^[20], City visitors page^[17]).

A Census Bureau article using FEMA's National Risk Index says Charleston has a relatively high earthquake risk, and other FEMA-derived summaries place Charleston County in the extreme band overall with hurricane, coastal flooding, and earthquake as the dominant hazards (Census earthquake story^[21], Risk Before Buy Charleston County^[22]). Charleston County-specific summaries also show very high hurricane and coastal flooding exposure, so the county should be treated as a coastal insurance-risk market rather than a low-hazard retirement location (Plain Hazard Charleston County^[23]). For air quality, a Charleston County summary reports a median AQI of 47 and 61% of measured days rated good, which is respectable by national standards, though smoke season can still worsen conditions episodically (America Dashboard Charleston^[24]).