Population

Palmdale

165,487

Charleston

152,014

Median Income

Palmdale

$81,151

Charleston

$90,038

Home Value

Palmdale

$435,300

Charleston

$469,100

Rent

Palmdale

$1,736

Charleston

$1,632

Crime Rate

Palmdale

5.51

Charleston

3.58

Cost of Living

Palmdale

153.4

Charleston

150.6

Avg Temp

Palmdale

N/A

Charleston

N/A

Unemployment

Palmdale

7.4%

Charleston

3.4%

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How Similar Are Palmdale & Charleston?

Charleston is Palmdale's #24 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Palmdale

165,487

vs

Charleston

152,014

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Palmdale at 165,487 and Charleston at 152,014.

Violent Crime

Palmdale

5.51

vs

Charleston

3.58

Different · 35% difference
🚨

Palmdale has a 35% higher violent crime than Charleston.

Property Crime

🔒

Palmdale

18.65

vs

Charleston

20.22

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 8% difference.

Political Leaning

Palmdale

31.9%

vs

Charleston

57.4%

Different · 44% difference
🗳️

Palmdale leans Democratic while Charleston leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Palmdale

7.4%

vs

Charleston

3.4%

Different · 54% difference

Palmdale's unemployment is significantly higher than Charleston's — 54% difference.

Median Income

Palmdale

$81,151

vs

Charleston

$90,038

Match · 10% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 10% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Palmdale

$435,300

vs

Charleston

$469,100

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 7% difference.

Education

Palmdale

10.2%

vs

Charleston

40.7%

Different · 75% difference
🎓

Charleston's education is significantly higher than Palmdale's — 75% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Palmdale

31.8%

vs

Charleston

72.9%

Different · 56% difference

Charleston's demographics is significantly higher than Palmdale's — 56% difference.

Cost of Living

Palmdale

153.4

vs

Charleston

150.6

Match · 2% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Palmdale and Charleston share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Palmdale

vsof 8

0

Charleston

Charleston leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Charleston leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Charleston has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,787 vs $2,601 in Palmdale (46% lower). Charleston has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,630 vs $2,085 in Palmdale (28% lower). Charleston scores 137.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 152.6 in Palmdale.

Overall Cost Index

Palmdale153.4
Charleston150.6

Housing Index

Palmdale203.8
Charleston191.5

Food Index

Palmdale112.0
Charleston118.8

Transportation Index

Palmdale152.6
Charleston137.6

Healthcare Index

Palmdale109.6
Charleston115.1

Utilities Index

Palmdale128.0
Charleston129.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Palmdale$67,495
Charleston$66,271

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Palmdale$159,534
Charleston$156,641

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Palmdale$2,085
Charleston$1,630

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Palmdale$2,601
Charleston$1,787

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Charleston has a median property tax of $2,144 vs $4,248 in Palmdale (98% lower). Palmdale has a vacancy rate of 4.1% compared to 12.4% in Charleston. Palmdale has a single-family homes of 80.3% compared to 54.8% in Charleston.

Median Home Value

Palmdale$435,300
Charleston$469,100

Median Rent

Palmdale$1,736
Charleston$1,632

Median Property Tax

Palmdale$4,248
Charleston$2,144

Owner-Occupied

Palmdale66.2%
Charleston55.6%

Vacancy Rate

Palmdale4.1%
Charleston12.4%

Single-Family Homes

Palmdale80.3%
Charleston54.8%

Jobs & Economy — Charleston leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Charleston has a unemployment rate of 3.4% compared to 7.4% in Palmdale. Charleston has a work from home of 17.6% compared to 8.3% in Palmdale. Charleston has a per capita income of $58,583 vs $28,767 in Palmdale (51% higher).

Median Household Income

Palmdale$81,151
Charleston$90,038

Per Capita Income

Palmdale$28,767
Charleston$58,583

Poverty Rate

Palmdale14.6%
Charleston12.0%

Unemployment Rate

Palmdale7.4%
Charleston3.4%

Labor Force

Palmdale75,364
Charleston87,105

Mean Commute

Palmdale38 min
CharlestonN/A

Work from Home

Palmdale8.3%
Charleston17.6%

Private Sector

Palmdale93.5%
Charleston85.5%

Government Sector

Palmdale41.3%
Charleston38.7%

Crime & Safety — Charleston leads

Source: FBI UCR

Charleston has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.43 compared to 1.52 in Palmdale. Charleston has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.40 compared to 2.51 in Palmdale. Charleston has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.58 compared to 5.51 in Palmdale.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Palmdale5.51
Charleston3.58

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Palmdale18.65
Charleston20.22

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Palmdale0.06
Charleston0.04

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Palmdale1.52
Charleston0.43

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Palmdale3.65
Charleston2.82

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Palmdale2.51
Charleston1.40

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Palmdale10.96
Charleston16.56

Violent Crime Clearance

Palmdale65.5%
Charleston63.8%

Property Crime Clearance

Palmdale17.6%
Charleston23.3%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

PalmdaleN/A
CharlestonN/A

Avg Annual High

PalmdaleN/A
CharlestonN/A

Avg Annual Low

PalmdaleN/A
CharlestonN/A

Sunny Days per Year

PalmdaleN/A
CharlestonN/A

Annual Rainfall

PalmdaleN/A
CharlestonN/A

Annual Snowfall

PalmdaleN/A
CharlestonN/A

Avg Humidity

PalmdaleN/A
CharlestonN/A

Schools & Education — Charleston leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Charleston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 40.7% compared to 10.2% in Palmdale. Charleston has a high school diploma or higher of 51.6% compared to 29.0% in Palmdale.

Public Schools

Palmdale0
Charleston0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

PalmdaleN/A
CharlestonN/A

Colleges & Universities

Palmdale0
Charleston0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Palmdale10.2%
Charleston40.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Palmdale29.0%
Charleston51.6%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Palmdale has a population of 165,487, about 1.1x the size of Charleston (152,014). Palmdale skews younger with a median age of 33.2 vs 36.1.

Population

Palmdale165,487
Charleston152,014

Median Age

Palmdale33
Charleston36

Avg Household Size

Palmdale3.6
Charleston2.2

Married Population

Palmdale37.1%
Charleston39.2%

Foreign Born

Palmdale24.9%
Charleston5.4%

White

Palmdale31.8%
Charleston72.9%

Black

Palmdale13.7%
Charleston17.4%

Hispanic

Palmdale62.8%
Charleston5.9%

Asian

Palmdale4.5%
Charleston2.2%

Palmdale

Charleston

Healthcare — Charleston leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Charleston: 4.3 vs Palmdale: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Palmdale5
Charleston5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Palmdale2.8
Charleston4.3

With Emergency Services

Palmdale4
Charleston4

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Charleston has a bicycle of 1.5% compared to 0.0% in Palmdale. Charleston has a work from home of 17.6% compared to 8.3% in Palmdale. Palmdale has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.9% in Charleston.

Mean Commute Time

Palmdale38 min
CharlestonN/A

Drive Alone

Palmdale74.0%
Charleston68.1%

Public Transit

Palmdale1.3%
Charleston0.9%

Bicycle

Palmdale0.0%
Charleston1.5%

Work from Home

Palmdale8.3%
Charleston17.6%

Airports

Palmdale0
Charleston0

Cities Similar to Palmdale, CA

Compare Palmdale 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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