Akashic
1892–2024
Akashic
Charleston, SC
presidential margin
2008D+0.32012R+3.12016R+3.02020D+1.32024R+5.3
full record · 1892 → 2024
R+5.3
2024
median income$81,517U.S. $80,734 · SC $69,324
median age39.5U.S. 39.1 · SC 40.5
poverty rate11.9%U.S. 12.5% · SC 14.1%
bachelor’s+ (25+)38.3%U.S. 35.6% · SC 32.1%
non-english8.2%U.S. 22.3% · SC 8.4%
race · ethnicity · ancestry
English13.0%
German10.0%
Irish9.6%
African American†24.2%
African0.6%
Jamaican0.2%
Mexican3.3%
Puerto Rican1.0%
Honduran0.4%
Filipino0.6%
Asian Indian0.4%
Chinese0.3%
religion
other traditions
Mainline7.6%
Black Protestant7.5%
Other Christian0.9%
Latter-day Saints0.8%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents, unaffiliated is the unclaimed remainder.

Charleston, SC, South Carolina

Akashic
Charleston, SCTrumpR+5.3
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Charleston, SC, SCA map of the constituent counties of Charleston, SC, SC, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), seated within the faint outlines of the surrounding states.Berkeley County, SC · R+16.3Georgetown County, SC · R+19.5Colleton County, SC · R+18.2Williamsburg County, SC · D+21.7Charleston County, SC · D+5.7Dorchester County, SC · R+14.6
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican51.8%246,427
Kamala HarrisDemocratic46.5%221,307
Chase OliverLibertarian1.6%7,745
D+60
R+60
6 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
County-level results (6 counties) — table
2024 presidential result by county for Charleston, SC, SC — winner and D-vs-R margin.
CountyWinnerMargin
Berkeley County, SCRepublicanR+16.3
Charleston County, SCDemocraticD+5.7
Colleton County, SCRepublicanR+18.2
Dorchester County, SCRepublicanR+14.6
Georgetown County, SCRepublicanR+19.5
Williamsburg County, SCDemocraticD+21.7
34 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
R
46.5%Harris221,307
51.8%Trump246,427
1.6%Oliver7,745
−5.3%
475,479
D
49.8%Biden235,245
48.5%Trump229,066
1.7%Jorgensen8,218
+1.3%
472,529
R
45.8%Clinton174,949
48.7%Trump186,361
5.5%Johnson21,081
−3.0%
382,391
R
47.7%Obama167,447
50.8%Romney178,428
1.5%Johnson5,237
−3.1%
351,112
D
49.6%Obama166,353
49.2%McCain165,275
1.2%Barr4,046
+0.3%
335,674
R
44.3%Kerry124,978
54.2%Bush153,072
1.5%Nader4,137
−10.0%
282,187
R
43.7%Gore102,012
53.8%Bush125,585
2.5%Nader5,908
−10.1%
233,505
R
44.9%Clinton87,474
49.8%Dole97,091
5.4%Perot10,462
−4.9%
195,027
R
40.6%Clinton82,814
47.6%Bush97,159
11.8%Perot24,147
−7.0%
204,120
R
40.1%Dukakis66,913
59.1%Bush98,592
0.8%Paul1,317
−19.0%
166,822
R
36.9%Mondale62,786
62.3%Reagan106,102
0.8%Bergland1,385
−25.4%
170,273
R
44.8%Carter70,395
52.6%Reagan82,814
2.6%Anderson4,094
−7.9%
157,303
D
54.4%Carter73,163
44.8%Ford60,343
0.8%Anderson1,069
+9.5%
134,575
R
32.5%McGovern36,993
65.8%Nixon74,869
1.7%Schmitz1,914
−33.3%
113,776
R
35.8%Humphrey39,154
37.2%Nixon40,779
27.0%Wallace29,566
−1.5%
109,499
R
32.2%Johnson27,427
67.8%Goldwater57,870
0.0%
−35.7%
85,297
R
40.1%Kennedy23,195
59.9%Nixon34,622
0.0%
−19.8%
57,817
O
20.3%Stevenson8,958
25.0%Eisenhower11,068
54.7%Andrews24,161
Other +29.6
44,187
R
34.4%Stevenson17,114
65.6%Eisenhower32,564
0.0%
−31.1%
49,678
O
15.1%Truman3,907
3.3%Dewey859
81.5%Thurmond21,054
Thurmond +66.4
25,820
D
76.1%Roosevelt11,930
9.0%Dewey1,405
14.9%Thomas2,334
+67.2%
15,669
D
88.0%Roosevelt13,417
12.0%Willkie1,827
0.0%
+76.0%
15,244
D
96.3%Roosevelt13,614
0.0%Landon0
3.7%Lemke528
+96.3%
14,142
D
95.6%Roosevelt12,540
0.0%Hoover0
4.4%Thomas578
+95.6%
13,118
D
80.6%Smith8,212
19.3%Hoover1,963
0.2%Thomas19
+61.3%
10,194
D
90.6%Davis5,358
7.5%Coolidge446
1.9%La Follette112
+83.0%
5,916
D
92.4%Cox6,481
7.4%Harding522
0.2%Debs13
+84.9%
7,016
D
95.4%Wilson5,759
4.5%Hughes269
0.1%Benson9
+90.9%
6,037
D
93.2%Wilson4,590
0.0%Taft0
6.8%Roosevelt334
+93.2%
4,924
D
86.0%Bryan6,799
13.5%Taft1,064
0.5%Debs39
+72.6%
7,902
D
90.6%Parker6,750
9.4%Roosevelt697
0.0%
+81.3%
7,447
D
80.8%Bryan5,562
19.2%McKinley1,321
0.0%
+61.6%
6,883
D
62.7%Bryan5,848
30.8%McKinley2,869
6.5%Palmer604
+32.0%
9,321
D
59.7%Cleveland5,643
39.6%Harrison3,748
0.7%Weaver64
+20.0%
9,455
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1892 to 2024. Most recent: −5.3% in 2024.flipped R · 2024−5.3%DR18922024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1892+20.0%
1896+32.0%
1900+61.6%
1904+81.3%
1908+72.6%
1912+93.2%
1916+90.9%
1920+84.9%
1924+83.0%
1928+61.3%
1932+95.6%
1936+96.3%
1940+76.0%
1944+67.2%
1948+11.8%
1952−31.1%
1956−4.8%
1960−19.8%
1964−35.7%
1968−1.5%
1972−33.3%
1976+9.5%
1980−7.9%
1984−25.4%
1988−19.0%
1992−7.0%
1996−4.9%
2000−10.1%
2004−10.0%
2008+0.3%
2012−3.1%
2016−3.0%
2020+1.3%
2024−5.3%
DemocraticRepublican
voter registration
Registered voters
Total registered voters, over time
Voter registration in Charleston, SCTotal registered voters, 2016–2024. Latest 730,095 in 2024.182.5K365K547.6K730.1K730.1K20162024
Registered voters
Voter registration in Charleston, SC
YearTotal registered
2016591,700
2018662,630
2020727,629
2022710,220
2024730,095
Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAVS)

The Charleston media market anchors South Carolina's Low Country, where rapid in-migration of college-educated professionals has tightened margins in suburbs that were once reliably one-sided by double digits.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 96.3 points in 1936 and a Republican high of 35.7 points in 1964. Between 2020 and 2024 the market moved 6.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 5.3 points.

A population of 968,143, a 62% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $81,517 describe the market. The market's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Richmond-Petersburg and Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News.

Political twins — media markets

The media markets whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

Richmond-Petersburg
Virginia
91.3twin score
% Blackcollege share2020 margin
Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News
Virginia
84.8twin score
% Black12-yr trend2020 margin
Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville)
North Carolina
83.6twin score
% Blackcollege share12-yr trend≠ population scale

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Charleston, SC, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/dma/519/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Places within Charleston, SC

counties6
Berkeley CountyCharleston CountyColleton CountyDorchester CountyGeorgetown CountyWilliamsburg County

Frequently asked questions

How did Charleston, SC, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Charleston, SC, South Carolina voted Republican by 5.3 points (R+5.3), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 475,479 votes cast, 221,307 went Democratic and 246,427 went Republican.
When did Charleston, SC, South Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Charleston, SC, South Carolina voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Charleston, SC, South Carolina?
Charleston, SC, South Carolina has a population of 968,143 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Charleston, SC, South Carolina?
Median household income in Charleston, SC, South Carolina is $81,517 — above the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Charleston, SC, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Charleston, SC, South Carolina from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 15 went Republican.