Racial and ethnic composition 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. 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%. 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. 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.
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==