Real estate · County · South Carolina
Real estate agents and brokers in Charleston County, SC
How Charleston County, SC compares with other counties and the U.S. for real estate agents and brokers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,953 of 2,176 scored counties
#37 of 39 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 1,181
- 31 chain locations (3%)
- Official establishments
- 605
- +23.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $16,548 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 46
- 54% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 66.0
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 436,200
- +6.4% since 2020
See the real estate agents and brokers around any address in Charleston County
The site report maps the real estate agents and brokers on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Charleston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Charleston County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate agents and brokers, ranking #1,953 of 2,176 scored counties and #37 of 39 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,181 real estate agents and brokers in Charleston County. Of those, 31 are chain locations, or 3%, against 4% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 66.0, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 30.6.
At $16,548 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Charleston County spend about $3B a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 54% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate agents and brokers take in.
Official counts show 605 businesses with payroll classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in Charleston County in 2023, up 23.7% from 2019. That is one for every 296 households, against one for every 788 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $175K have gone to businesses classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in Charleston County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Charleston County grew 6.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Charleston County compares
The same measures for South Carolina and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Charleston County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 66.0 | 33.6 | 30.6 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 46 | 81 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 296 | 635 | 788 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +23.7% | +31.7% | +20.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.4% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $16,548 | $14,791 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $88,494 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 489 → 605+23.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,171
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $94.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,18131 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 543The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $175K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in Charleston County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Charleston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 436,200+6.4% since 2020
- Households
- 178,975
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 918 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 458
- Median household income
- $88,494+38.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,674
- Median home value
- $489,100
- Jobs located here
- 279,531
- Daytime population
- 508,326Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Charleston County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate agents and brokers on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Charleston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate agents and brokers across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for real estate agents and brokers, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Charleston County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Laurens County, SC | 77 | 21 | 7.8 | 316 | +6.2% | #59 of 2,176 |
| 2Newberry County, SC | 76 | 9 | 5.9 | 427 | +4.8% | #66 of 2,176 |
| 3Abbeville County, SC | 75 | 6 | 6.1 | 411 | +2.3% | #78 of 2,176 |
| 4Edgefield County, SC | 71 | 13 | 13.3 | 197 | +16.1% | #185 of 2,176 |
| 5Cherokee County, SC | 70 | 17 | 7.7 | 310 | +3.7% | #204 of 2,176 |
| 6Saluda County, SC | 69 | 6 | 7.8 | 314 | +4.1% | #235 of 2,176 |
| 7Kershaw County, SC | 69 | 39 | 14.5 | 183 | +11.6% | #248 of 2,176 |
| 8Jasper County, SC | 66 | 16 | 12.2 | 213 | +32.2% | #327 of 2,176 |
| 9Chester County, SC | 65 | 6 | 4.6 | 525 | +2.2% | #341 of 2,176 |
| 10Lancaster County, SC | 65 | 63 | 15.7 | 182 | +18.3% | #364 of 2,176 |
| 37Charleston County, SC | 33 | 1,181 | 66.0 | 46 | +6.4% | #1,953 of 2,176 |
Other business types in Charleston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
- Real estate33
- Real estate agents and brokers33
- Property management32
- Mortgage brokers and lenders31
- Home inspectors57
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate agents and brokers are in Charleston County, SC?
Charleston County has 1,181 real estate agents and brokers on map listings as of September 2026. 31 of them (3%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokerages, commercial brokers included. Official counts show 605 businesses with payroll classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in 2023, up 23.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Charleston County, SC spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $3B a year, or $16,548 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 1,181 real estate agents and brokers on map listings, housing spending per office is 54% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate agents and brokers take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 178,975 households in Charleston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Charleston County, SC compare with the U.S. for real estate agents and brokers?
Charleston County has 66.0 real estate agents and brokers per 10,000 households, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 30.6. The index of housing spending per office is 46, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate agents and brokers to household spending, Charleston County would have about 543, against 1,181 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 296 households, against one for every 788 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +20.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Charleston County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Charleston County at 436,200 people in 2025, up 6.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 178,975 households. The median household income in Charleston County is $88,494 a year, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Charleston County scores 33 for real estate agents and brokers (lower middle), #1,953 of 2,176 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Charleston County. It maps the real estate agents and brokers on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate agents and brokers · All 56 business types in Charleston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Charleston County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Charleston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.