New Data Shows Charleston Remains a Top Destination as South Carolina Tops the Nation in Inbound Migration

Local movers report steady demand as the Lowcountry continues to draw new residents from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

CHARLESTON, SC, UNITED STATES, August 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- South Carolina has topped the nation's inbound migration rankings for a seventh consecutive year, according to moveBuddha's 2026 Migration Report, and newly released Census Bureau figures show the state gained roughly 68,000 net domestic migrants in the most recent measured year. Saltwater Moving, a locally owned moving company serving the greater Charleston area, says the data lines up closely with what its crews are seeing on the ground.

The Charleston metro area, which now exceeds an estimated 850,000 residents and continues growing at roughly twice the national rate, was recently named one of the National Association of Realtors' top 10 Housing Hot Spots for 2026. According to NAR, the region's growth is being driven in part by a large share of millennial households, steady income growth, and strong inbound migration from Washington, D.C., New York, Atlanta, and Charlotte.

Growth is not limited to the Charleston peninsula itself. Berkeley County, home to fast-growing communities like Goose Creek, Hanahan, and Moncks Corner, was among the fastest-growing counties in the state in the most recent Census data, expanding even faster than Horry County, the Myrtle Beach area. Statewide, more than 80 percent of South Carolina's population growth since the 2020 Census has been concentrated in just ten counties, with Berkeley and Charleston counties both on that list.

Much of that growth is being pulled along by a diversifying local economy. Boeing's 787 Dreamliner assembly plant in North Charleston remains one of the region's largest private employers, and the Port of Charleston, now among the eight largest container ports in the country, continues to expand its terminal capacity to keep pace with shipping demand. Alongside manufacturing and logistics, the region has built a reputation as the Southeast's "Silicon Harbor," now home to well over a thousand technology companies spanning software, cybersecurity, and health tech, with the Medical University of South Carolina anchoring a growing life sciences sector. That mix of aerospace, port logistics, tech, and healthcare jobs has given newcomers a wider range of reasons to relocate than the coastal lifestyle alone.

"We're seeing it firsthand every week," said the team at Saltwater Moving. "A lot of the people we move are coming from out of state, often the Northeast, and choosing not just Charleston proper but the surrounding communities like Summerville, Goose Creek, and Mount Pleasant, where there's more room to grow. The data backs up what our crews have been telling us all year."

Saltwater Moving has expanded its service coverage across the Charleston region in response, now serving communities throughout the Lowcountry from downtown Charleston to Summerville, Moncks Corner, and the surrounding beach communities. The company reports that its busiest months continue to track closely with the broader relocation season, with bookings climbing each spring as families aim to move before the new school year and easing slightly once the coastal humidity and hurricane season set in over the summer. Even so, staff says inquiries from out-of-state movers have held steady well beyond the traditional peak, a shift they attribute to the growing number of remote workers and retirees relocating on their own timeline rather than around a school calendar.

About Saltwater Moving
Saltwater Moving is a locally owned and operated moving company based in North Charleston, South Carolina, serving residential and commercial customers throughout the greater Charleston and Lowcountry area.

Josh Wright & Rooke Crouch
Saltwater Moving
+1 843-517-7597
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