Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Charleston County index 1975–2025
Charleston County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Charleston County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
Charleston, South Carolina (Charleston County), authorised 1,234 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −4.9% on the previous 12 months.
785 of those units were single-family houses (64%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 449 in buildings of five or more units. That is 7.7 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 7.2 and close to the state's 8.3.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 35,986 units, with the busiest year 2005 (2,187 units). Charleston County's FHFA house price index rose +128.6% over the ten years to 2025.
1,234units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−4.9% on the previous 12 months
785single-family units64% of the total
449units in 5+ unit buildings36% of the total
7.7units per 1,000 residentsCharleston County 7.2 · South Carolina 8.3
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Charleston by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Charleston
Charleston County
South Carolina
United States
All housing units
1,234
3,119
46,439
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
785 (64%)
2,222 (71%)
39,742 (86%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
24
188
34,814
3–4 units
0
87
169
17,298
5 or more units
449 (36%)
786 (25%)
6,340 (14%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
7.7
7.2
8.3
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−4.9%
−21.1%
+1.3%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Charleston by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
35,986 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2005. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Charleston County
FHFA's index for Charleston County rose +128.6% over the ten years to 2025 (+8.6% a year) and +2.3% in the latest year, against +104.3% and +3.5% for South Carolina. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Charleston, SC?
1,234 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 1,297 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Charleston?
785 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 449 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Charleston compare with its county and state?
7.7 units per 1,000 residents in Charleston, 7.2 in Charleston County and 8.3 in South Carolina.
How have home prices moved in Charleston County?
FHFA's index for Charleston County rose +128.6% over the ten years to 2025 and +2.3% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 097000); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.