City · Mississippi
Charleston, Mississippi
Charleston, city, in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. Charleston had 1,688 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 10.5% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,884 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,979 (±456). GEOID 2812900.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
1,688
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,884 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,979 ±456
Median household income
$36,892
±$8,565 (90% margin)
Mississippi: $56,447
Median home value
$88,800
±$13,407 (90% margin)
Mississippi: $169,800
Median gross rent
$683
±$49 (90% margin)
Mississippi: $954
Where is Charleston and what county is it in?
Charleston is a city in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. It covers 1.4 square miles of land, 1,390 residents per square mile in 2020.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Charleston, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,688 people lived in Charleston on July 1, 2025, down 10.5% since 2020, a steeper fall than Mississippi's (−0.2%). The 2020 Census counted 1,884 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,979 (±456).
| Measure | Charleston | Tallahatchie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,979 ±456 | 11,764 | no clear change |
| Households | 761 ±163 | 4,306 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.46 ±0.40 | 2.60 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 907 ±168 | 5,505 | no clear change |
Charleston's population since 2000
From 2,198 in 2000 to 1,688 in 2025: down 23.2%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Charleston as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Charleston?
The median resident of Charleston is 38.3 years old; 25.1% are under 18 and 19.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic Black residents at 77.7%, then non-Hispanic white residents at 21.0%.
| Measure | Charleston | Tallahatchie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.3 ±8.2 | 39.7 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 25.1% ±6.7 pts | 20.5% | – |
| 65 years and over | 19.8% ±5.8 pts | 18.1% | – |
| Male | 48.5% ±6.1 pts | 52.0% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.7% ±1.1 pts | 0.8% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 21.0% ±8.5 pts | 36.6% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 77.7% ±8.9 pts | 60.8% | no clear change |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.2 pts | 0.0% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.1% ±0.1 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.2 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 0.5% ±0.7 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.2 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.3% ±0.4 pts | 1.2% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.4% ±0.5 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 3.4% ±2.5 pts | 6.2% | – |
| With a disability | 12.3% ±4.8 pts | 16.5% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 14.5% ±7.1 pts | 14.9% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 75.7% ±9.5 pts | 81.1% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 22.3% ±8.6 pts | 11.7% | +12.4 pts |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 14.3% ±7.4 pts | 4.4% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 92.2% ±4.6 pts | 92.2% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.2% ±0.4 pts | 2.1% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Charleston earn?
Half of Charleston's 761 households earn less than $36,892 a year (±$8,565), against $37,466 in Tallahatchie County and $56,447 in Mississippi. In 2015-2019 it was $31,253 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 27.1% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Charleston | Tallahatchie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $36,892 ±$8,565 | $37,466 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $47,201 ±$7,473 | $55,024 | – |
| Per capita income | $20,856 ±$3,136 | $22,562 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 27.1% ±10.8 pts | 24.6% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 48.4% ±23.8 pts | 45.8% | no clear change |
| Households receiving SNAP | 26.1% ±11.6 pts | 23.0% | – |
| Households with a computer | 94.0% ±3.4 pts | 88.8% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 65.3% ±12.0 pts | 68.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Charleston?
Owners occupy 59.8% of Charleston's occupied homes and renters 40.2%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $88,800 by its owner (±$13,407). The median renter pays $683 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Charleston | Tallahatchie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $88,800 ±$13,407 | $82,300 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $683 ±$49 | $732 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 19.3% ±14.6 pts | 40.6% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $907 ±$161 | $1,012 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 59.8% ±13.9 pts | 64.5% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 40.2% ±13.9 pts | 35.5% | – |
| Housing units | 907 ±168 | 5,505 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±9.4 pts | 4.6% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 9.5% ±9.4 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 74.6% ±10.0 pts | 67.9% | – |
| Mobile homes | 23.0% ±10.3 pts | 27.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.1% ±1.7 pts | 1.7% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 8.6% ±7.8 pts | 5.6% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 6.1% ±3.7 pts | 5.8% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 5.9% ±3.5 pts | 10.2% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Charleston building?
Builders took permits for 0 new housing units in Charleston in 2025 (0 in single-family houses), 0.0 per 1,000 residents against 2.8 across Mississippi.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Charleston work and get to work?
75.1% of Charleston's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 20.9 minutes.
| Measure | Charleston | Tallahatchie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 55.5% ±8.9 pts | 50.7% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 12.7% ±8.6 pts | 10.2% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 75.1% ±14.6 pts | 80.7% | – |
| Carpooled | 5.8% ±4.9 pts | 11.6% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±5.9 pts | 0.5% | – |
| Walked | 1.2% ±2.3 pts | 0.5% | – |
| Worked from home | 17.6% ±16.3 pts | 6.4% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 20.9 min ±5.7 | 28.8 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Charleston?
1 census tract lies mostly in Charleston, and 1 more reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9502Tallahatchie County | 2,275 | $40,833 |
| Tract 9501Tallahatchie County | 4,052 | $43,750 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Charleston) · Census block assignment files
How does Charleston compare with other places in Mississippi?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Charleston is the 8,320th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 109th-most populous of 299 in Mississippi.
Charleston ranks 139th of 172 places in Mississippi with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 109th | 299 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 132nd | 148 |
| Residents per square mile | 21st | 187 |
| Median household income | 139th | 172 |
| Per capita income | 143rd | 183 |
| Median home value | 152nd | 178 |
| Median gross rent | 129th | 161 |
| Poverty rate | 61st | 160 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 77th | 171 |
| Median age | 79th | 186 |
| Owner-occupied share | 110th | 182 |
| Travel time to work | 129th | 185 |
Charleston's figures with every place in Mississippi (CSV)
Every place in Mississippi, sortable · Compare Charleston with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Charleston?
20 of the 57 figures for Charleston on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Charleston are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Charleston.