Charleston holds on as South Carolina’s largest city, but its nearby towns are booming
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South Carolina 2020 census data
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Charleston did it again.
After officially eclipsing Columbia as South Carolina’s largest city back in 2017, the Holy City will get to hold onto those bragging rights.
The population in the city of Charleston has now surpassed 150,000, according to 2020 estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
More precisely, Charleston saw its population swell to 150,227 in the last decade, up just over 25% from 120,083 residents in 2010.
The capital city of Columbia came in at No. 2 overall with a population of 136,632, followed by North Charleston, which is now home to 114,852 residents as of April 1, 2020.
But a closer look at the numbers show Charleston isn’t the only place in the Lowcountry on the move in the Palmetto State, when it comes to size and growth rate.
And Charleston residents don’t have to look far to find those growing areas.
Five of South Carolina’s ten largest cities and towns can be found in the Charleston metro area.
According to the 2020 census estimates, the most populous cities and towns in South Carolina are:
- Charleston: 150,227
- Columbia: 136,632
- North Charleston: 114,852
- Mount Pleasant: 90,801
- Rock Hill: 74,372
- Greenville: 70,720
- Summerville: 50,915
- Goose Creek: 45,946
- Sumter: 43,463
- Florence: 39,899
The five Charleston-area standouts are Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and Goose Creek.
In fact, one of the biggest places in the state isn’t even a city. It’s a town.
The Town of Mount Pleasant, located just east of peninsular Charleston over the iconic Arthur Ravenel Bridge, has seen its population grow by nearly 33% in the last decade, data show. It is now the fourth-largest place in South Carolina, based on population estimates, right behind North Charleston.
The suburb east of the Cooper River is now home to 90,081 people, up from 67,843 in 2010.
The same can be said for the town of Summerville in nearby Dorchester County, which has seen its population rates grow by about 17% in the last decade, census reports show.
Though it may not have landed in the top 10 for population size in South Carolina, the Town of Moncks Corner, also in Berkeley County, experienced dramatic growth since 2010.
The latest 2020 census totals show the small town has nearly doubled in size.
In 2010, Moncks Corner had 7,885 residents. It now has 13,297.
At the county-level, it was Greenville County that took the top spot for population size in the state. Charleston County came in at No. 3, behind Richland County.
In the tri-county region, though, Berkeley County led the pack with the largest percentage growth in the area of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties.
Berkeley County saw a 29.2% increase in population size, followed by Dorchester County, which grew by 18.3%. Charleston County, meanwhile, saw a 16.6% growth in its total number of residents in the last 10 years.
Berkeley County, in fact, was the second-fastest growing in the state, behind only Horry County, which grew by 30% in the past decade.
This article has been updated to correct that Summerville is located in Dorchester County.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Charleston holds on as South Carolina’s largest city, but its nearby towns are booming."
