Population
Charleston
152,014
Surprise
149,519
Median Income
Charleston
$90,038
Surprise
$93,371
Home Value
Charleston
$469,100
Surprise
$396,000
Rent
Charleston
$1,632
Surprise
$1,917
Crime Rate
Charleston
3.58
Surprise
1.09
Cost of Living
Charleston
150.6
Surprise
151.6
Avg Temp
Charleston
N/A
Surprise
N/A
Unemployment
Charleston
3.4%
Surprise
4.2%
How Similar Are Charleston & Surprise?
Surprise is Charleston's #22 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Charleston
152,014
Surprise
149,519
Both cities have similar populations — Charleston at 152,014 and Surprise at 149,519.
Violent Crime
Charleston
3.58
Surprise
1.09
Charleston's violent crime is significantly higher than Surprise's — 69% difference.
Property Crime
Charleston
20.22
Surprise
8.76
Charleston's property crime is significantly higher than Surprise's — 57% difference.
Political Leaning
Charleston
57.4%
Surprise
51.2%
Both cities lean Republican, but Charleston has a stronger Republican lean (11% difference).
Unemployment
Charleston
3.4%
Surprise
4.2%
Surprise has a 20% higher unemployment than Charleston.
Median Income
Charleston
$90,038
Surprise
$93,371
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Charleston
$469,100
Surprise
$396,000
Charleston has a 16% higher home values than Surprise.
Education
Charleston
40.7%
Surprise
21.4%
Charleston has a 48% higher education than Surprise.
Demographics
Charleston
72.9%
Surprise
75.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Charleston
150.6
Surprise
151.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Charleston and Surprise share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Charleston
0
Surprise
Charleston leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Charleston leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSurprise scores 124.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 137.6 in Charleston. Surprise has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,583 vs $1,630 in Charleston. Charleston has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,787 vs $1,839 in Surprise.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Surprise leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSurprise has a single-family homes of 87.0% compared to 54.8% in Charleston. Surprise has a owner-occupied of 79.0% compared to 55.6% in Charleston. Surprise has a vacancy rate of 9.8% compared to 12.4% in Charleston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Surprise leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSurprise has a poverty rate of 7.8% compared to 12.0% in Charleston. Charleston has a per capita income of $58,583 vs $39,604 in Surprise (48% higher). Charleston: 87,105 vs Surprise: 69,460 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Surprise leads
Source: FBI UCRSurprise has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.11 compared to 0.43 in Charleston. Surprise has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.74 compared to 2.82 in Charleston. Surprise has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.09 compared to 3.58 in Charleston.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Charleston leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauCharleston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 40.7% compared to 21.4% in Surprise. Charleston has a high school diploma or higher of 51.6% compared to 38.8% in Surprise.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCharleston has a population of 152,014, about 1x the size of Surprise (149,519). Charleston skews younger with a median age of 36.1 vs 41.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Charleston
Surprise
Healthcare — Charleston leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCharleston: 4.3 vs Surprise: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Charleston: 4 vs Surprise: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Charleston leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCharleston has a public transit of 0.9% compared to 0.1% in Surprise. Charleston has a bicycle of 1.5% compared to 0.2% in Surprise. Surprise has a drive alone of 70.7% compared to 68.1% in Charleston.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Charleston, SC
Compare Charleston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.