Mount Pleasant, Charleston, Hanahan and North Charleston side by side: 2026 tax rates, high school ratings, Sept. 2026 home values, income and commute.
Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the Charleston County Auditor’s 2026 millage levy (PDF), the Berkeley County Auditor’s millage table, the South Carolina school report cards, Zillow Research, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and each town’s or city’s own website, linked below.
Mount Pleasant’s three nearest neighbors that are incorporated cities are Charleston, about six miles away across the Cooper River, Hanahan, about 12 miles, and North Charleston, about 14 miles, measured between the Census Bureau’s center points for each place. The Town of James Island, about as near as Charleston, is a town and is left out. Mount Pleasant, Charleston and North Charleston are mostly in Charleston County; Hanahan is in Berkeley County. Every figure below is from an official or published source, for the same year or month in all four places. This page does not rank them. For areas inside Mount Pleasant, see our neighborhoods guide.
Property taxes
South Carolina rates are set in mills: one mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. A home you own and live in can be assessed at 4% of its value instead of 6% if you apply; see our property tax guide.
The Charleston County Auditor’s 2026 millage levy (PDF) sets 218.8 countywide mills, including 168.2 for Charleston County School District, on property in Mount Pleasant, Charleston and North Charleston’s Charleston County tax districts. The town or city levy goes on top. A home taxed at the 4% legal residence rate is exempt from the 145.2 school operating mills, the Auditor’s office says, so an owner’s own home pays less than the totals below. Hanahan is in Berkeley County, so its row comes from the Berkeley County Auditor’s millage table for 2026-27 (revised Sept. 18, 2026), where county and school mills total 246.5.
| Place | Town or city mills, 2026 | Total mills | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | 44.3 | 263.1 (tax district 21) | Charleston County Auditor |
| Charleston | 82 | 300.8 | Charleston County Auditor |
| Hanahan | 79 | 325.5 | Berkeley County Auditor |
| North Charleston | 91.5 | 310.3 (tax district 43) | Charleston County Auditor |
Mount Pleasant’s 44.3 town mills are 34.7 for operations and 9.6 for bonds. Charleston’s 82 city mills are 72.5 for operations, 4 for drainage and 5.5 for public safety infrastructure. Some parts of each place sit in other tax districts with different totals; the levy PDF lists them all.
Homestead exemption. South Carolina’s homestead exemption takes the first $50,000 of a home’s value off the tax for owners who are 65 or older, totally and permanently disabled or legally blind, in all four places. You apply through your county auditor, for example with Charleston County’s homestead exemption application (PDF). None of the four publishes a separate local exemption that we found.
High schools and their state ratings
Districts assign schools by address, not by town. These are the high schools whose attendance zones cover homes in each place, with the overall rating and the 2025 graduation rate from the state’s report card data.
| Place | District | High school | 2025 rating | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | Charleston County | Lucy Garrett Beckham High | Excellent | 95.5% |
| Mount Pleasant | Charleston County | Wando High | Excellent | 94.2% |
| Charleston | Charleston County | Burke High | Below Average | 78.6% |
| Charleston | Charleston County | West Ashley High | Excellent | 91.2% |
| Charleston | Charleston County | James Island Charter High | Excellent | 94.3% |
| Charleston | Charleston County | St. John’s High | Average | 92.5% |
| Charleston | Berkeley County | Philip Simmons High | Excellent | 91.4% |
| Hanahan | Berkeley County | Hanahan High | Good | 89.0% |
| North Charleston | Charleston County | North Charleston High | Below Average | 79.1% |
| North Charleston | Charleston County | R.B. Stall High | Below Average | 77.8% |
| North Charleston | Dorchester Two | Fort Dorchester High | Excellent | 94.8% |
Magnet and charter high schools, which take students by application, are left out. More in our schools guide.
Home values
The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.
| Place | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | $871,681 | $857,915 | up 1.6% |
| Charleston | $587,511 | $579,438 | up 1.4% |
| Hanahan | $415,862 | $415,570 | little changed |
| North Charleston | $309,108 | $313,175 | down 1.3% |
More in our home prices guide.
Population, income and commute
From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four, as shown on each place’s QuickFacts page:
| Place | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Mean travel time to work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | 93,993 | $124,755 | $748,500 | 24.9 minutes |
| Charleston | 154,338 | $92,414 | $509,700 | 24.2 minutes |
| Hanahan | 21,452 | $87,984 | $374,800 | 23.9 minutes |
| North Charleston | 119,913 | $62,956 | $302,200 | 24.5 minutes |
The Census median home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over five years, so it differs from Zillow’s index.
Who provides local services
| Place | Police | Fire | Trash pickup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | Mount Pleasant Police Department | Mount Pleasant Fire Department | Town curbside collection |
| Charleston | Charleston Police Department | Charleston Fire Department | Environmental Services |
| Hanahan | Hanahan Police Department | Hanahan Fire Department | City public works |
| North Charleston | North Charleston Police Department | North Charleston Fire Department | City sanitation |
Homes in unincorporated pockets next to each place are served by the county instead. See our trash and recycling guide and who to call at City Hall.
How to check an address
- Which town or city and county a parcel is in: Charleston County’s GIS Parcel Viewer and Berkeley County’s real property search.
- Which schools serve it: Charleston County School District’s school lookup tool, and Berkeley County School District for Hanahan, Daniel Island and Cainhoy.
- What the tax might be: the Charleston County Auditor’s tax estimator, and the Berkeley County millage table.
Berkeley County’s website did not load for our automated check on Oct. 16, 2026; the Hanahan and Berkeley County figures above are as the table stood when we last read it, on Oct. 12, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mount Pleasant’s property tax rate for 2026?
The Charleston County Auditor’s 2026 millage levy puts the Town of Mount Pleasant at 44.3 town mills, 34.7 for operations and 9.6 for bonds, plus 218.8 countywide mills, for 263.1 mills in the town’s main tax district.
Does Mount Pleasant have a lower tax rate than Charleston?
The town levy is lower. For 2026 the municipal rates are 44.3 mills in Mount Pleasant, 79 in Hanahan, 82 in Charleston and 91.5 in North Charleston, from the Charleston and Berkeley county auditors. County and school mills are added on top.
What is the typical home value in Mount Pleasant compared with Charleston?
In September 2026 the Zillow Home Value Index was $871,681 in Mount Pleasant, $587,511 in Charleston, $415,862 in Hanahan and $309,108 in North Charleston. The index is a modeled typical value, not a sale price.
Are Mount Pleasant and Charleston in the same school district?
Mostly. Charleston County School District serves all of Mount Pleasant and most of Charleston, but Charleston’s Daniel Island and Cainhoy areas and all of Hanahan are in Berkeley County School District.
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