South Carolina · County property tax · ACS 2024
Charleston County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Charleston County pays $1,901 a year, an effective rate of 0.39%, modestly below the U.S. average.
- $1,901
- Median tax / yr · Above-median bill
- 0.39%
- Effective rate · Very low rate
- -5%
- vs U.S. average
- #43 of 46
- rank in SC
The verdict
Homeowners in Charleston County pay a median $1,901 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.39%, more affordable than 94% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 2024).
- $1,901
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.39%
- Effective rate on median home
- #199 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -5%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($489,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for South Carolina. Population: 420,264. Owner-occupied homes: 114,350.
The median annual property tax in Charleston County is $1,901, which is 52% higher than the South Carolina state average and 5% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.39% on a median home value of $489,100. Property taxes represent 2.1% of the median household income in this county.
Charleston County's rate standing among U.S. counties
Primary signal
The effective rate is a national tailwind
Charleston County's 0.39% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 94% pay a higher rate.
Decision signal 2
The bill sits above the South Carolina median
Homeowners in Charleston County pay a median annual property tax of $1,901, modestly below the national median and far above the South Carolina state median. On a $489,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.39% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Decision signal 3
High among South Carolina counties by effective rate
Charleston County ranks #43 of 46 counties in South Carolina by effective rate (7% of in-state counties pay a lower rate).
Decision signal 4
Income and the tax bill sit in the middle band
Property taxes in Charleston County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.1% of the $88,494 median household income.
Informational notice
Figures describe the median homeowner household in Charleston County as reported to the Census Bureau; your parcel can differ. Not tax, legal, or financial advice: check the county assessor or a qualified professional before decisions that depend on these numbers.
A falling rate took the edge off
Charleston County's effective rate fell 12.6% across the 4-year span while its median home value rose 46.2%, leaving the median bill 27.8% higher at $1,901. That rate move is larger than the one in 52% of counties, so a good deal of the market's rise never reached the bill.
Effective rate is the published median bill divided by the published median home value, so the two multiply back to the bill exactly; the rate's movement here is derived from those two figures rather than read from the rounded published rate. Both are ACS 5-year survey estimates for the median owner-occupied household, compared across non-overlapping releases. They describe what the Census published, not a local policy, assessment, or exemption change.
How to read this county's bill
The bill here climbed steeply over 2020-2024, up 28% from $1,488 to $1,901. These ACS medians describe the reported change; they do not identify whether a levy, assessment, home value, or change in the responding households caused it.
The heaviest band is also the fullest one here: 29,238 of 114,350 owner-occupied homes (25.6%) report annual real-estate taxes above $3,000. That band has no upper edge in the source, so the county median understates the burden carried by the plurality rather than describing it.
The most forgiving PAIRING in the data, top-quartile household income with a bottom-quartile effective rate, puts the median bill at 2.1% of median household income. Home values still drive the dollar figure, which is why the ratio above varies widely among counties that share this position.
The share above is the median annual bill divided by median household income, a ratio of two county-level medians rather than a household-by-household figure.
What Charleston County Homeowners Actually Pay
The single largest group of Charleston County homeowners, 29,238 of 114,350 owner-occupied homes (25.6%), pays $3,000 or more a year. The median is one point in this spread, not a typical bill.
- Less than $800 12.0% (13,688)
- $800 to $1,499 23.5% (26,915)
- $1,500 to $1,999 16.9% (19,357)
- $2,000 to $2,999 20.2% (23,085)
- $3,000 or more 25.6% (29,238)
Census ACS 2024, table B25102. Bands and the no-tax share sum to 100%.
2,067 homes here (1.8%) report no real estate tax at all. Exemptions are set by state: how South Carolina handles assessments and appeals.
With vs Without Mortgage
In Charleston County, mortgaged homeowners pay 20% more than those without a mortgage, a gap that typically tracks higher home values rather than a different tax rate.
Charleston County's effective rate vs peers
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Charleston County's effective rate is higher than 7% of the 46 counties in South Carolina - ranking #43 of 46.
Where Charleston County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.39% Among the most affordable more affordable than 94% of 3,135 U.S. counties
Show national distribution
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more U.S. counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024
A low rate, a bigger bill
Charleston County taxes property at 0.39%, roughly 19% below the South Carolina average, and still bills a median $1,901, about 52% above the state figure. Because the effective rate is the bill divided by the home's value, that combination means local home values run well ahead of the state norm: a gentler rate applied to a larger base.
Charleston County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Charleston County | South Carolina Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax Above-median bill | |||
| Effective Tax Rate Very low rate | |||
| Median Home Value | |||
| Tax as % of income Below-median income burden | 2.1% | - | - |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates. Tax-burden differences across rows reflect millage decisions, assessment-ratio practices, and the residential-vs-commercial mix of each tax base.
Charleston County is QUIET · MID on ACS medians, still verify your parcel card before quoting the county figure. Estimate appeal savings · South Carolina counties.
Charleston County rate trail · QUIET
| Year | Median Tax (vs prior release) | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,901 +2.0% | 0.39% |
| 2023 | $1,864 +5.7% | 0.41% |
| 2022 | $1,763 +12.1% | 0.42% |
| 2021 | $1,573 +5.7% | 0.45% |
| 2020 | $1,488 | 0.44% |
Each row is a separate ACS 5-year release, and consecutive releases share four of their five survey years. The percentage beside each bill is therefore movement in the published estimate against the previous release, not a single year's tax change. The two releases largely describe the same households. For change over time, compare releases that do not overlap.
Charleston County: tax-to-income at 2.1%
Counties near Charleston County's effective rate
On effective rate, Charleston County sits nearest Pushmataha County (OK), Watauga County (NC), St. Mary Parish (LA).
On published median-tax change, the nearest matches are Colusa County (CA), Schley County (GA), Crook County (WY).
How peers are chosen
These are the nearest cross-state matches in the published Census data, not neighboring counties or recommendations. Peers are rebuilt with each data release; see the calculation method.
Similar effective rates
Similar published median-tax changes, 2020–2024
Charleston County: only 12% of returns show Schedule A real-estate tax
Tax year 2022: 24,320 of 208,530 returns from Charleston County reported real estate taxes, averaging $5,037 - 44% of those reporters sat in the $200k+ AGI band.
What this IRS county file does not say
Amounts are reported before the SALT cap, not deducted; the share is of filers, not homeowners. Source: IRS SOI county data, tax year 2022.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Charleston County rate FAQs
- How does Charleston County property tax compare to the national average?
- Property taxes in Charleston County run modestly below the national median of $1,993, an effective rate of 0.39% versus 0.92% nationally.
- What is the average property tax in Charleston County, South Carolina?
- The median annual property tax in Charleston County is $1,901, an effective rate of 0.39% on a $489,100 median home (Census ACS, 2024).
- What is the tax affordability score for Charleston County?
- Charleston County, South Carolina scores C+ (60/100) on PlainPropertyTax's tax affordability composite across 5 Census ACS dimensions (effective rate, bill size, income share, mortgage gap, and home-value/income). Its strongest scored dimension here is rate relief at A+ (0.39%). The score compares published county medians to U.S. percentiles, it is not a personal bill and not advice to buy, sell, appeal, or relocate.
- Are property taxes increasing in Charleston County?
- The ACS median property-tax bill for Charleston County jumped 27.8% between the 2020 and 2024 5-year releases, from $1,488 to $1,901, a 4-year span. These are survey estimates covering five years each, so this compares the two releases furthest apart rather than consecutive ones, which overlap and would mostly measure the same households twice.
- What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Charleston County?
- Property taxes in Charleston County run within the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 2.1% of the $88,494 median household income.
What to do with Charleston County's QUIET rate
Inside South Carolina, Charleston County's $1,901 median bill runs high versus the state median - compare the rest of the state before judging the burden. South Carolina overview →
Charleston County ranks #43 of 46 South Carolina counties by effective rate - on the lower-burden half of the state ACS set. South Carolina overview →
Nationwide peers by effective rate (then bill)
Rate-first peers for Charleston County's QUIET effective rate, then a disjoint out-of-state bill set so the two neighborhoods stay distinct.
Similar effective rate
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS effective rate. This county: 0.39%.
Similar median bill
Nearest out-of-state counties by ACS median annual tax. This county: $1,901/yr. Rate peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Read with Charleston County
Nearest ABS(median_tax) ACS peers for Charleston County (QUIET · MID), replacing the old fixed Keep exploring strip.
QUIET MID
Camp County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Charleston County at $1,901/yr; rate 1.10% vs Charleston County 0.39%.
Chaffee County, CO
ABS(median_tax) peer · tied with Charleston County at $1,901/yr; rate 0.29% vs Charleston County 0.39%.
Beadle County, SD
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,900/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 1.09% vs Charleston County 0.39%.
Montague County, TX
ABS(median_tax) peer · $1,902/yr (near-tied bill ABS $1); rate 0.92% vs Charleston County 0.39%.
South Carolina county set
State ACS overview for every published South Carolina county rate and median bill.
Assessment cycle basics
Charleston County stamps QUIET · MID - how assessed value and millage become the ACS median bill.
Data vintage and method
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Property tax data reflects median amounts paid by homeowners. Effective rates are calculated as median tax divided by median home value.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, county median real-estate taxes · 2024 Charleston County (QUIET · MID) - ACS medians, not a parcel bill.