States · South Carolina · Charleston County

James Island, South Carolina.

A town in Charleston County. Zillow publishes no home prices for it: see Charleston County’s.

Living in James Island, Charleston County, South Carolina

James Island is a town of 11,621 people in Charleston County. Half its households earn more than $104,217 a year and half less, against $88,494 across Charleston County; 6% of its people live below the poverty line. 88% of its homes are lived in by their owners and 12% are rented. Unemployment in Charleston County was 3.5% in August 2026, and the county had 2.0% more jobs in 2025 than the year before. The most residents work in schools and health care, then restaurants and hotels.

People 11,621 in the 2020 census; median age 41.7
Household income $104,217 the median, give or take $7,969 · Charleston County: $88,494
Unemployment 3.5% Charleston County, August 2026; 4.0% a year before
Homes 88% lived in by their owners; 12% rented
  • 4,666households
  • 50%of adults have a degree
  • 6%below the poverty line
  • 22 mintypical commute
  • 18%work from home

What residents work in

  • Schools, hospitals and social care25%
  • Restaurants, hotels and entertainment14%
  • Professional and business services12%
  • Shops (retail)10%
  • Other services9%
  • Banks, insurance and property8%

Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Charleston County had 283,985 jobs in 2025, 2.0% more than the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Weather through the year

Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 58° and 44°; warmest in July, 88° and 77° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° J 58° 44° F M A M J J 88° 77° A S O N D
Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 58° and 44°; warmest in July, 88° and 77° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° J 58° 44° F M A M J J 88° 77° A S O N D

Coldest in January, with highs near 58° and lows near 44°; warmest in July, with highs near 88° and lows near 77°. About 44 inches of rain and melted snow a year.

Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the Charleston City weather station, 3 miles away (NOAA).

Largest workplaces in Charleston County

  1. The Boeing CompanyAircraft manufacturing7,929
  2. Charleston 01 SchoolsSchool district7,519FTE
  3. Medical University of South CarolinaGeneral hospital7,388FTE
  4. Medical University of South CarolinaUniversity or college3,641
  5. Veterans Health AdministrationFederal government · Department of Veterans Affairs2,623
  6. City of CharlestonCity and town managers' offices1,938
  7. College of CharlestonUniversity or college1,911
  8. Trident Regional Medical CenterGeneral hospital1,833FTE

Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 453 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 85,413 people in all across the county; James Island has none of its own. School districts come from the Common Core of Data (NCES, 2023–24), hospitals from their Medicare cost reports (CMS, 2023), colleges from IPEDS (NCES, 2023–24) and federal offices from OPM's federal workforce data (2026); FTE marks full-time equivalent staff. Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.

Natural hazards

  1. HurricanesVery high
  2. Coastal floodingrelatively high in parts of James IslandRelatively moderate
  3. EarthquakesRelatively moderate
  4. Ice stormsRelatively moderate
  5. LightningRelatively moderate
  6. Cold wavesRelatively moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in James Island’s census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively high. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.

From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Charleston County.