Charleston · South Carolina
A metro area of 869,940 residents, the 71st-largest in the US. Here is what franchise brands should know about the market, how to draw territories and how to market each unit.
869,940
Metro residents (Census Bureau, 2024 estimate)
71st
Largest metro area in the United States
3 counties
In the Charleston–North Charleston metro area
Notice
With a registered trademark
Quick answer
The metro has 869,940 residents across 3 counties, the 71st-largest metro area in the United States. Plan territories on households and travel time, give every unit its own page and Google Business Profile, and complete the South Carolina filing (notice) before you sell.
Reviewed by the Fransion franchise research team · October 2026 · Sources listed below
The market
The port, aerospace manufacturing, tourism and a high-income influx of new residents.
For a franchise brand, that means planning Charleston as several local markets, each with its own customers, search results and real estate costs.
Metro
Charleston–North Charleston, 3 counties
Population
869,940 (July 2024 estimate)
National rank
71st-largest metro area
State law
Nearby markets
Mount Pleasant, Summerville, North Charleston, Goose Creek
Territories
Charleston spreads across 3 counties, and each part of the metro behaves like its own market. Territories work best when they are sized on households and travel time, not on city or county lines.
Radius territory
Simple to write into the franchise agreement, and a good fit where customers come from a short distance, such as dense, walkable neighborhoods. In spread-out areas the same distance can hold very different numbers of customers.
Drive-time territory
Follows the roads and traffic patterns customers actually use, and can be sized on household counts so every owner starts with comparable demand. A good fit where most customers drive.
For franchise brands
A customer in Mount Pleasant and a customer in Summerville see different search results. Each Charleston unit needs its own page on your franchise website, its own Google Business Profile and its own reviews.
Franchise website design →
A location page for each Charleston unit, with its own hours, services, reviews and map, on one brand site.
Franchise SEO →
Google Business Profiles and service areas drawn around real Charleston territories, so units do not compete with each other.
Paid media and PPC →
Search and local campaigns budgeted per territory and measured per location.
Franchise lead generation →
Recruiting owners for open Charleston territories, once your South Carolina filing is in place.
FAQs
Still have a question? Ask a specialist, free and confidential.
Charleston sits in the Charleston–North Charleston metro area, with 869,940 residents across 3 counties in the Census Bureau’s July 2024 estimate, the 71st-largest metro area in the United States. Many concepts can support more than one territory here, depending on their customer.
Charleston spreads across 3 counties, and each part of the metro behaves like its own market. Territories work best when they are sized on households and travel time, not on city or county lines. Territory mapping sizes each territory on households and travel time for your customer.
Usually not. South Carolina’s Business Opportunity Sales Act generally does not apply to offerings made with a registered trademark. Franchisors typically send a notice to the Secretary of State to claim the exemption. Your attorney confirms the filing.
Communities such as Mount Pleasant, Summerville, North Charleston and Goose Creek each behave like their own market, with their own search results and customer base. Plan them as separate territories rather than one Charleston market.
Fransion works remotely with franchise brands nationwide, serving Charleston and the rest of South Carolina. Strategy, design and marketing are done by our own team, and we travel for workshops and launches when it helps.
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