Elevation of Charleston, South Carolina
10ft
above sea level · 3 m
Charleston is a city in South Carolina with 159,423 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 14th lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 32.78° N · 79.93° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 32° 46′ 36″ N · 79° 55′ 51″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 17S · 600,122 E · 3,627,023 N
- Zone 17 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 159,423 people
- 115 sq mi of land · 1,383 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from August 2017: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Charleston had 159,423 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 5.8% more than in April 2020, when it had 150,746. Its 115 sq mi of land work out to 1,383 people/sq mi; the state average is 185 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 475 places the Census counts in South Carolina (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 2.9% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 2 counties. By population: Charleston County (142,732) and Berkeley County (16,691). Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Charleston County.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Charleston sits at 10 ft (3 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Charleston is 852 ft below it.
The state capital, Columbia, is 106 mi away in a straight line and 289 ft higher than Charleston.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Charlotte (North Carolina), 177 mi away in a straight line and 753 ft higher.
Of the 3 cities in South Carolina with a page, Charleston is the lowest. The others are Columbia (299 ft) and North Charleston (18 ft).
The highest point in South Carolina is Sassafras Mountain, at 3,560 ft according to the USGS: 3,550 ft above Charleston, 227 mi away in a straight line.
- 236 Charleston 10 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Charleston.
What is the elevation of Charleston?
Charleston is 10 feet (3 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Charleston?
Latitude 32.77657 and longitude -79.93092, in decimal degrees (32° 46′ 36″ N · 79° 55′ 51″ W). In UTM, zone 17: 600,122 E and 3,627,023 N, on NAD83.
How does Charleston rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 14th lowest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Charleston in?
Several: Charleston County and Berkeley County. Most of its people live in Charleston County.
Which is higher, Charleston or Columbia?
Columbia. Charleston sits at 10 ft and Columbia at 299 ft: a difference of 289 ft, 106 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know