The Charleston metropolitan area is an urban area centered around

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. The U.S.

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

designates the area as the Charleston–North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, a

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

used for statistical purposes only by the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

and other federal agencies. The OMB defines the area as comprising Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, an area with 799,636 residents in the 2020 census. Principal cities include Charleston,

North Charleston North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...

, and Summerville. The area is commonly referred to as the Tri-County Area or the Lowcountry, though the latter term has historically referred to South Carolina's southern coast in general.

Area

Counties

Largest cities and towns

Communities

Places with more than 100,000 inhabitants

* Charleston (Principal city /

County Seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

) *

(Principal city)

Places with 25,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

* Goose Creek * Mount Pleasant * Summerville

Places with 5,000 to 25,000 inhabitants

* Hanahan * James Island * Johns Island * Ladson (

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

) *

Moncks Corner Moncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-S ...

(

) *

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

* Sangaree (census-designated place)

Places with 1,000 to 5,000 inhabitants

* Awendaw * Folly Beach * Isle of Palms *

Kiawah Island Kiawah may refer to * Kiawah Island, South Carolina Kiawah is a sea island, or barrier island, on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Located southwest of Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina, it is primarily a private beac ...

* Lincolnville * Meggett * Ravenel * Ridgeville * Seabrook Island * St. George (

) *

St. Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

* Sullivan's Island

Places with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

* Bonneau * Harleyville * Jamestown *

McClellanville McClellanville is a small fishing town in rural Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,040 at the 2010 census. It is situated on the Atlantic coast, on land surrounded by Francis Marion National Forest, and has trad ...

* Reevesville * Rockville

Unincorporated places

Cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...

* Gumville *

Huger Huger is a surname of French origin. It may refer to: Five brothers from a prominent South Carolina family of Huguenot descent who served in the American Revolution: *Benjamin Huger (American Revolution), killed near Charleston *Daniel Huger, memb ...

* Pineville * Wadmalaw Island

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 549,033 people, 227,957 households, and 161,448 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 65.10%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 30.80%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.41% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.98% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population. The median income for a household in the MSA was $40,345, and the median income for a family was $47,186. Males had a median income of $33,229 versus $24,118 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the MSA was $19,037.

Armed Forces

Portions of the Charleston, South Carolina metropolitan area (The City of Charleston, The City of North Charleston, The City of Goose Creek, and The City of Hanahan) are home to all branches of the United States Military. During the Cold War, the Naval Base (1902-1996) became the third largest U.S. homeport serving over 80 ships and submarines. In addition, the

Charleston Naval Shipyard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. ...

repaired frigates, destroyers, cruisers, sub tenders, and submarines. Also, the Shipyard was responsible for refueling nuclear subs. During this period, the Weapons Station was the Atlantic Fleet's load out base for all nuclear

ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN � ...

s. Two SSBN "Boomer" squadrons and a sub tender were homeported at the Weapons Station, while one SSN attack squadron,

Submarine Squadron 4 Submarine Squadron 4 (also known as ''SUBRON 4'' or ''CSS-4'') was raised by the United States Navy in 1930. Since 9 July 1997, the squadron has been based at the Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton, Connecticut, United States of America. ...

, and a sub tender were homeported at the Naval Base. At the 1996 closure of the Station's Polaris Missile Facility Atlantic (POMFLANT), over 2,500 nuclear warheads and their

UGM-27 Polaris The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980. In the mid-1950s the Navy was involved in the Jupiter missi ...

, UGM-73 Poseidon, and UGM-96 Trident I delivery missiles (

SLBM A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhea ...

) were stored and maintained, guarded by a U.S. Marine Corps Security Force Company. In 2010, the Air Force Base (3,877 acres) and Naval Weapons Station (>17,000 acres) merged to form Joint Base Charleston. Today, Joint Base Charleston, encompassing over 20,877 acres and supporting 53 Military Commands and Federal Agencies, provides service to over 79,000 Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, DOD civilians, dependents, and retirees.

Navy

*Charleston Naval Weapons Station, Joint Base Charleston (>17,000 acres, 27 square miles), Goose Creek and Hanahan *

Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic The Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic (NIWC Atlantic) is an Echelon III activity of the United States Navy located in North Charleston, South Carolina. The center’s mission is to deliver information warfare solutions that protect nation ...

(

NAVWAR The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWARSYSCOM), based in San Diego, is one of six SYSCOM Echelon II organizations within the United States Navy and is the Navy's technical authority and acquisition command for C4ISR (Command, Cont ...

) *

Naval Nuclear Power Training Command The Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) is a program element of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and is responsible for educating enlisted and commissioned personnel of the US nuclear naval program. NNPTC's mission is to train offic ...

Nuclear Power School Nuclear Power School (NPS) is a technical school operated by the U.S. Navy in Goose Creek, South Carolina as a central part of a program that trains enlisted sailors, officers, KAPL civilians and Bettis civilians for shipboard nuclear power p ...

*Nuclear Power Training Unit *Moored Training Nuclear Submarine, *Moored Training Nuclear Submarine, *Moored Training Nuclear Submarine, , 2015 delivery *Moored Training Nuclear Submarine, , After 2015 delivery *

Naval Consolidated Brig, Charleston The Naval Consolidated Brig (NAVCONBRIG CHASN), is a medium security U.S. military prison. The brig, Building #3107, is located in the south annex of Joint Base Charleston in the city of Hanahan, South Carolina. The Brig was commissioned on Nov ...

, East Coast *Mobile Mine Assembly Unit Eleven (MOMAU-11) *Naval Operations Support Center Charleston *Navy Reserve Center *Navy Munitions Command CONUS, Detachment Charleston *Explosive Ordnance Detachment * Naval Health Clinic Charleston *Navy Dental Clinic *

Naval Criminal Investigative Service The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate criminal activities involving the Navy and Marine Corps, though its ...

Training, Federal Complex *Lay berth for Roll-On Roll-Off Naval Ships, Military Sealift Command, Federal Complex * MV Cape Ducato (T-AKR-5051), Military Sealift Command Ship, Ready Reserve Force, Federal Complex *MV Cape Douglas (T-AKR-5052), Military Sealift Command Ship, Ready Reserve Force, Federal Complex *MV Cape Domingo (T-AKR-5053), Military Sealift Command Ship, Ready Reserve Force, Federal Complex *MV Cape Decision (T-AKR-5054), Military Sealift Command Ship, Ready Reserve Force, Federal Complex *MV Cape Diamond (T-AKR-5055), Military Sealift Command Ship, Ready Reserve Force, Federal Complex *MV Cape Edmont (T-AKR-5069), Military Sealift Command Ship, Ready Reserve Force, Federal Complex

Air Force

*Charleston Air Force Base, Joint Base Charleston (3,877 acres, 6.06 square miles), North Charleston *Charleston Air Force Auxiliary Base, North, SC (2,393 acres, 3.74 square miles) *Charleston Defense Fuel Storage and Distribution Facility, Hanahan *

628th Air Base Wing The United States Air Force's 628th Air Base Wing is an administrative unit located at Joint Base Charleston, in North Charleston, South Carolina. The 628 ABW was activated on 8 January 2010 as Charleston Air Force Base was merged with Naval Wea ...

*628th Mission Support Group *628th Medical Group * 315th Airlift Wing *

437th Airlift Wing The 437th Airlift Wing (437 AW) is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to 18th Air Force, Air Mobility Command. It is the mission wing at Charleston Air Force Base, Joint Base Charleston, in the City of North Charleston, S ...

*373rd Training Squadron, Detachment 5 *1st Combat Camera Squadron *412th Logistics Support Squadron OL-AC *Air Force ROTC Det 772 *Civil Air Patrol – Charleston Composite Squadron

Marines

*Marine Corps Reserve Center, Naval Weapons Station

Coast Guard

*Coast Guard Sector Charleston (District 7) *Coast Guard Station Charleston *Coast Guard Base Charleston *Coast Guard Helicopter Air Facility, Johns Island *Coast Guard Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin, Johns Island *Coast Guard Reserves, Charleston *Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy, Federal Complex * National Security Cutter, Federal Complex * National Security Cutter, Federal Complex *USCGC Stone (WMSL-758 National security cutter, Federal Complex *USCGC ''Tarpon'',

Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boat The Marine Protector class is a class of coastal patrol boats of the United States Coast Guard. The 87-foot-long vessels are based on the Stan 2600 design by Damen Group, and were built by Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana. Each boat ...

, Tybee Island *USCGC ''Yellowfin'',

, Charleston *USCGC ''Anvil'', Charleston

Army

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

, Charleston District *

South Carolina Army National Guard The South Carolina Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the U.S. Army's available combat forces and approximat ...

*Army Reserve Training Center, Naval Weapons Station *841st Army Transportation Battalion, Naval Weapons Station *1182nd Army Deployment & Distribution Support Battalion, Naval Weapons Station *1189th Army Transportation Brigade, Reserve Support Command, Naval Weapons Station *Army Strategic Logistics Activity, Naval Weapons Station

Federal Complex (former Charleston Naval Base), North Charleston

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) serves as an interagency law enforcement training body for 105 United States government federal law enforcement agencies. The stated mission of FLETC is to "...train those who protect our home ...

(FLETC), Department of Homeland Security *Moored FLETC Training Ship, SS Cape Chalmers (T-AK-5036) *Sea Hawk Interagency Operations Center *Customs and Border Protection Satellite Academy *Immigration and Customs Enforcement Satellite Academy *U.S. Courts, Federal Probation and Pretrial Services Academy *Food and Drug Administration Training Academy *National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

) * NOAAS ''Nancy Foster'' (R 352) Ship * NOAAS ''Ronald H. Brown'' (R 104) Ship *U.S. Department of State *Global Financial Services Center, U.S. Department of State *Passport Service Center, U.S. Department of State *

United States Maritime Administration The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation. MARAD administers financial programs to develop, promote, and operate the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Merchant Marine. Det ...

Image:Joint_Base_Charleston_-_Emblem.png, Joint Base Charleston Image:USMC logo.svg, United States Marine Corps Image:SPAWAR_logo.gif, SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic Image:437th Airlift Wing.png, The 437 Airlift Wing Image:315th Airlift Wing.png, The 315 Airlift Wing Image:1st Combat Camera Squadron.png, The 1st Combat Camera Squadron Image:412th Flight Test Squadron.jpg, The 412 Flight Test Squadron Image:United States Army Corps of Engineers logo.svg, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

External links

*** ee section 5 for definition and proper use of Metropolitan Statistical Area

References

See section 5 for definition and proper use of Metropolitan Statistical Area
{{USLargestMetros Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area Geography of Berkeley County, South Carolina Geography of Charleston County, South Carolina Geography of Dorchester County, South Carolina