NAICS 53

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Metro Market Score 62.7 (Difficult), ranked #292 of 330 metros. 1,976 establishments, 8,049 jobs.

Metro Market Score 62.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national real estate and rental and leasing average.

💰High-Cost Market

Charleston-North Charleston scores 62.7 on the Metro Market Score for real estate and rental and leasing, placing it in the bottom quartile. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

93.3

LQ: 1.34

Rank #308 of 330 metros

Wage Competitiveness

93.3

$77,375 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 60.3

Employment growth index

Rank #132 of 330 metros

Wage Pressure

20.7

YoY wage change index

1,976 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Firms in Charleston-North Charleston

1,976

Establishments

+7.7% YoY

8,049

Total Employment

+1.6% YoY

$77,375

Average Annual Wage

+6.3% YoY

1.34

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within South Carolina

#6 of 7

real estate and rental and leasing metros in state

South Carolina state rank

#36 of 51

for real estate and rental and leasing entry risk

vs State Median

+4.7

worse than median (58.0)

Charleston-North Charleston vs South Carolina Statewide

How this metro's real estate and rental and leasing market compares to South Carolina overall. The state ranks #36/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Charleston-North Charleston	SC Statewide
Overall Score	62.7 Difficult	44.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#292 of 330 metros	#36 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Charleston-North Charleston

Healthcare and Social Assistance 36.4 Retail Trade 49.4 Construction 49.8 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 58.6 Other Services 59.5 Accommodation and Food Services 63.4 Administrative and Support Services 64.4 Finance and Insurance 70.0 Information 73.8

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other South Carolina Metros

Florence 34.7 #95/330 Sumter 37.1 #111/330 Greenville-Anderson-Greer 40.9 #151/330 Spartanburg 58.0 #264/330 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 59.9 #273/330 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach 64.2 #296/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Charleston-North Charleston's 62.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 62.6 #291/330 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 62.5 #290/330 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 62.4 #289/330 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN 62.4 #288/330 Colorado Springs, CO 63.2 #293/330 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 63.4 #294/330 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 61.9 #287/330 Corpus Christi, TX 61.5 #286/330 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 61.5 #285/330 Worcester, MA 61.4 #284/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in States Bordering South Carolina

State-level entry risk for real estate and rental and leasing in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

North Carolina 38.1 #23/51 Georgia 51.6 #43/51

Browse Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for real estate and rental and leasing across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Charleston-North Charleston's real estate and rental and leasing sector, the industry concentration component (93.3) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment