What HUD offices serve Charleston County, South Carolina?
Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.
Go to the South Carolina Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Charleston County.
How many renters live in Charleston County, South Carolina?
The County of Charleston County has 419,279 people living in 179,597 households.
There are 132,385 renters living in 65,758 renter households in this County. Renters make up 31.57 percent of the population living in Charleston County.
What is the rental market like in Charleston County, South Carolina?
There are an estimated 209,599 housing units in the Charleston County area. Of these, 74,612 units are rental homes, making up 36 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Charleston County, South Carolina, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Charleston County?
The rental vacancy rate in Charleston County is 10 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.
How many rental units are in Charleston County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Charleston County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,227 | 17,427 | 27,859 | 14,429 | 3,446 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Charleston County
A large number of apartments in Charleston County have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.
How many renter households in Charleston County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 50 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 27 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.
The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.
How Much Is Rent in Charleston County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,386 to $2,402. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $1,386 |
| One BR | $1,424 |
| Two BR | $1,599 |
| Three BR | $1,979 |
| Four BR | $2,402 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Charleston County, South Carolina
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Charleston County?
Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.
These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:
| Unit Size | Count of Units Below FMR | Percentage of Total Units Below FMR |
| Studio | 1,249 | 56 percent |
| One BR | 10,699 | 61 percent |
| Two BR | 14,697 | 53 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Charleston County, South Carolina
How many affordable rental units are in Charleston County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Charleston County, South Carolina including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 3,553 |
| Public Housing | 1,763 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 1,362 |
| Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly | 148 |
| Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities | 8 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Charleston County, South Carolina
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Charleston County, South Carolina
Charleston County features 2,590 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.
Low Rent Apartments in Charleston County, South Carolina
There are 1,350 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Charleston County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Charleston County, South Carolina
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Charleston County landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Charleston County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Charleston County, South Carolina for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,439 and $1,759.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
