Life Skills and Money Education in Charleston, SC
Charleston, South Carolina is home to about 157,665 people, the largest of 271 incorporated places in South Carolina. Since 2020 it has added residents, rising 4.4% from 151,065 to 157,665. The median age is 36.1.
Among adults 25 and older in Charleston, 57.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That runs 38.2 points above the South Carolina average of 19.5%. Flip that figure and it describes 42.3% of the 107,374 adults 25 and over counted in the 2019–2023 ACS, about 45,419 people whose money skills came from somewhere other than a university.
Median household income is $90,038. That is $37,478 above the South Carolina median. About 12% of residents live below the poverty line. The median home is valued at $469,100 — about 5.2× the median household income, a ratio that makes the arithmetic of a mortgage worth understanding before signing one.
Charleston by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (2024) | 157,665 |
| Change since 2020 | +4.4% |
| Median household income | $90,038 |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor’s degree | 57.7% |
| Adults 25+ with a high school diploma | 95.9% |
| Median age | 36.1 |
| Poverty rate | 12% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% |
| Median home value | $469,100 |
| Land area | 115.246 sq mi |
| Population density | 1,368 / sq mi |
What South Carolina teaches — and to whom
South Carolina has committed to 1 semester of personal finance as a graduation requirement, phasing in with the class of 2027 — so today's middle schoolers will be the first cohort held to it. That covers students still in the system. It does nothing for the adults already out of it — which, in Charleston, is most of the people reading this.
LearnLife organises this the way the decisions actually arrive: Emotional regulation — the self-management that decides whether the other skills ever get used; Money — budgeting, credit, debt and taxes — the mechanics nobody is formally taught; Legal literacy — leases, contracts, employment rights and what a signature actually commits you to.
Where to start in Charleston
Learn the mortgage arithmetic first
Homes in Charleston run about 5.2× median household income — well past the 3× rule of thumb. That makes amortisation, escrow, PMI and the true cost of a rate difference the most valuable arithmetic a resident can learn before signing anything.
Questions people ask about Charleston
Do high school students in Charleston, South Carolina have to take a personal finance class?
Yes — South Carolina has adopted a standalone requirement, phasing in with the graduating class of 2027. Students graduating before then are not covered.
How many adults in Charleston, South Carolina have a college degree?
57.7% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, based on the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey. The remaining 42.3% are managing their finances without one.
What is the median household income in Charleston, South Carolina?
$90,038, per the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.
Where can adults in Charleston, South Carolina learn personal finance?
Graduation requirements only ever reach people still in school. For adults, LearnLife covers the same ground on demand — money, legal literacy and the self-management that decides whether either gets used.
Start with whichever one is costing you money right now.
Browse the LearnLife catalogNearby in South Carolina
- Columbia
- North Charleston
- Mount Pleasant
- Rock Hill
- Greenville
- Summerville
- Goose Creek
- Greer
- Sumter
- Florence
- Myrtle Beach
- Spartanburg
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