Charleston, SC Population by Race & Ethnicity

Racial distribution of Charleston population: 74.13% are White, 19.65% are Black or African American, 0.31% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.77% are Asian, 0.17% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 1.41% are some other race and 2.55% are multiracial.
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Updated Aug 31, 2023

Charleston, SC population by race

The table below shows Charleston's population by race.

Race Population % of Total Population
White 109,662 74.13%
Black or African American 29,064 19.65%
American Indian and Alaska Native 459 0.31%
Asian 2,624 1.77%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 258 0.17%
Some other race 2,084 1.41%
Two or more races (multiracial) 3,777 2.55%
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Charleston population by race

Of the 5 race categories (excluding ethnicity) identified by the Census Bureau, namely American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and White; Charleston has a population in all of the race categories.

This confirms that Charleston's population has become increasingly diverse.

The percent distribution of Charleston population by race (across all racial categories recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau): 74.13% are White, 19.65% are Black or African American, 0.31% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.77% are Asian, 0.17% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 1.41% are some other race and 2.55% are multiracial.

The bar chart shows Charleston, SC population by race, in percentage. The numbers shown are based on the American Community Survey respondents self identified race. The Hispanic and Latino population is spread across the races identified and not as a separate race category.
Charleston, SC population by race. The largest racial group in Charleston is White with a population of 109,662 (74.13% of the total population). Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Charleston's racial breakdown clearly shows that there is an absolute majority (i.e. more than 50% of the population belong to one particular race) of White population in the city.

As per the latest data estimates from American Community Survey's 5-year estimates:

1. The largest racial group in Charleston is White with a population of 109,662 (74.13% of the total population).

2. The multiracial population, i.e. population that identify themselves with two or more races, is 3,777 (2.55% of the total population).

Racial / Ethnic makeup of Charleston, SC

By ethnicity, 6,261 (4.23% of the total population) is Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 141,667 (95.77% of the total population) is Non-Hispanic.

The pie chart shows racial / ethnic makeup of  Charleston, SC. The numbers shown are based on the American Community Survey respondents self identified race and ethnicity. The Hispanic or Latino population is excluded from the other identified racial categories and shown as one single group as Hispanic or Latino population.
Racial / Ethnic makeup of Charleston, SC. By ethnicity, 6,261 (4.23% of the total population) is Hispanic or Latino (of any race) and 141,667 (95.77% of the total population) is Non-Hispanic. Please note that all Hispanic or Latino population are shown as one single group and the other racial categories are Non-Hispanic population percentages. Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Of the Non-Hispanic population in Charleston, the largest racial group is White alone with a population of 106,13 (74.92% of the total Non-Hispanic population).

Charleston Non-Hispanic population by race

The distribution of the Non-Hispanic population across various race categories

Race Population % of Total Non-Hispanic Population
White alone 106,130 74.92%
Black or African American alone 28,996 20.47%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 70 0.05%
Asian alone 2,619 1.85%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 258 0.18%
Some other race alone 573 0.40%
Two or more races (multiracial) 3,021 2.13%
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Among the Hispanic population in Charleston, regardless of the race, the largest group is of Mexican origin, with a population of 2,756 (44.02% of the total Hispanic population).

Charleston Hispanic or Latino population

The distribution of the Hispanic or Latino population by their ancestries

Origin Population % of Total Hispanic Population
Mexican 2,756 44.02%
Puerto Rican 941 15.03%
Cuban 127 2.03%
Other Hispanic or Latino 2,437 38.92%
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Things to know

What percentage of Charleston, SC is Hispanic?

As per the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates, 4.23% of Charleston population is Hispanic.

Among the Hispanic population in Charleston, regardless of the race, the largest group is of Mexican origin, with a population of 2,756 (44.02% of the total Hispanic population).

How many Black people does Charleston, SC have?

Charleston, SC has 29,064 Black or African American population as per the estimates from the latest American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. Overall 19.65% of the total population (excluding multiracial) in Charleston is Black.

What is the largest minority group in Charleston, SC?

With 4.23% of the total population, Hispanic and Latino Americans are the largest ethnic minority in Charleston.

That being said, with a 19.65% of the total population, Black or African Americans are the largest racial minority in Charleston.

What is the majority race in Charleston, SC?

With a population of 109,662 (74.13% of the total population), Whites are the largest racial majority in Charleston.

Black or African Americans are second largest race in Charleston, with 19.65% of the total population.

References

Datasets

Explore datasets by year of publication.
2023
Charleston, SC Population Breakdown by Race
Last updated August 18, 2023
ACS
Free
Neilsberg
CSV, JSON
2017-2021
CC BY 4.0
About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the population of Charleston by race. It includes the population of Charleston across racial categories (excluding ethnicity) as identified by the Census Bureau. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population distribution of Charleston across relevant racial categories.

Key observations

The percent distribution of Charleston population by race (across all racial categories recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau): 74.13% are white, 19.65% are Black or African American, 0.31% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.77% are Asian, 0.17% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 1.41% are some other race and 2.55% are multiracial.

Charleston population by race

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Racial categories include:

  • White
  • Black or African American
  • American Indian and Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
  • Some other race
  • Two or more races (multiracial)

Variables / Data Columns

  • Race: This column displays the racial categories (excluding ethnicity) for the Charleston
  • Population: The population of the racial category (excluding ethnicity) in the Charleston is shown in this column.
  • % of Total Population: This column displays the percentage distribution of each race as a proportion of Charleston total population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Charleston Population by Race & Ethnicity. You can refer the same here

Charleston, SC Non-Hispanic Population Breakdown by Race
Last updated August 18, 2023
ACS
Free
Neilsberg
CSV, JSON
2017-2021
CC BY 4.0
About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the Non-Hispanic population of Charleston by race. It includes the distribution of the Non-Hispanic population of Charleston across various race categories as identified by the Census Bureau. The dataset can be utilized to understand the Non-Hispanic population distribution of Charleston across relevant racial categories.

Key observations

Of the Non-Hispanic population in Charleston, the largest racial group is White alone with a population of 106,13 (74.92% of the total Non-Hispanic population).

Charleston Non-Hispanic population by race

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Racial categories include:

  • White
  • Black or African American
  • American Indian and Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
  • Some other race
  • Two or more races (multiracial)

Variables / Data Columns

  • Race: This column displays the racial categories (for Non-Hispanic) for the Charleston
  • Population: The population of the racial category (for Non-Hispanic) in the Charleston is shown in this column.
  • % of Total Population: This column displays the percentage distribution of each race as a proportion of Charleston total Non-Hispanic population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Charleston Population by Race & Ethnicity. You can refer the same here

Charleston, SC Hispanic or Latino Population Distribution by Their Ancestries
Last updated August 18, 2023
ACS
Free
Neilsberg
CSV, JSON
2017-2021
CC BY 4.0
About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the Charleston Hispanic or Latino population. It includes the distribution of the Hispanic or Latino population, of Charleston, by their ancestries, as identified by the Census Bureau. The dataset can be utilized to understand the origin of the Hispanic or Latino population of Charleston.

Key observations

Among the Hispanic population in Charleston, regardless of the race, the largest group is of Mexican origin, with a population of 2,756 (44.02% of the total Hispanic population).

Charleston Non-Hispanic population by race

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Origin for Hispanic or Latino population include:

  • Mexican
  • Black or African American
  • Puerto Rican
  • Cuban
  • Other Hispanic or Latino

Variables / Data Columns

  • Origin: This column displays the origin for Hispanic or Latino population for the Charleston
  • Population: The population of the specific origin for Hispanic or Latino population in the Charleston is shown in this column.
  • % of Total Hispanic Population: This column displays the percentage distribution of each Hispanic origin as a proportion of Charleston total Hispanic or Latino population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Charleston Population by Race & Ethnicity. You can refer the same here

If you're looking for datasets from another year, please feel free to contact us at research@neilsberg.com and we'll be happy to assist you further.

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Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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