Biggest Sources of Immigrants to Charleston

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Biggest sources of immigrants to Charleston

Nearly 14% of the United States population is composed of immigrants. But in reality, the vast majority of Americans today are here because of relatives who immigrated from other countries some time in the last several hundred years.

And while the distinctive American culture and spirit is the result of blending many diverse cultures and histories, the United States has for centuries had an up-and-down relationship with immigration.

Each era of immigration has been met with reductive ideas and resistance, whether the backlash was directed toward the Chinese, Irish, Italians, or Mexicans. Immigration laws have targeted specific groups at various times, stoking intolerance and preventing people from truly joining American society. Over time, however, as laws changed to be more equitable and immigrants found their footings, we have reaped the rewards of innovation in business, music, art, literature, dance, food, societal norms, entertainment, and sports—all while realizing a greater understanding of and respect for different cultures, religions, and ideas.

Stacker compiled a list of the countries most immigrants to Charleston come from, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Countries are ranked by highest number of foreign-born residents who lived in Charleston as of 2019’s five-year estimates.

Keep reading to find out more about the immigrant community in your home city.

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ackats // Shutterstock

#50. Barbados

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 128
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 54,231
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #81 most common country of origin

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neiljs // Flickr

#49. Ethiopia

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 129
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 249,777
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #34 most common country of origin

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Ninara // Wikimedia Commons

#48. Iran

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 131
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 382,260
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #23 most common country of origin

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Christopher Michel // Flickr

#47. Sudan

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 133
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 46,716
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #87 most common country of origin

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Saqib Rizvi // Shutterstock

#46. Pakistan

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 138
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 376,127
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #25 most common country of origin

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trezordia // Shutterstock

#45. Sweden

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 139
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%

National
- Number of residents: 47,286
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #85 most common country of origin

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Gregory DALLEAU // Unsplash

#44. Ireland

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 154
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 121,469
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #53 most common country of origin

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Vannrith Va // Unsplash

#43. Cambodia

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 167
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 151,066
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #46 most common country of origin

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Pixabay

#41 (tie). Dominican Republic

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 168
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 1,118,147
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%
- #8 most common country of origin

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Prin Adulyatham // Shutterstock

#41 (tie). Egypt

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 168
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 191,452
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #40 most common country of origin

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kirkandmimi // Pixabay

#39 (tie). Czechoslovakia (includes Czech Republic and Slovakia)

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 174
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 66,818
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #76 most common country of origin

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Michael Shade // Wikicommons

#39 (tie). Ecuador

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 174
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 438,474
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #19 most common country of origin

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Juan P. Verni // Flickr

#38. Greece

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 184
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 129,765
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #51 most common country of origin

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SL-Photography // Shutterstock

#37. Panama

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 185
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%

National
- Number of residents: 103,299
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #58 most common country of origin

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Unsplash

#35 (tie). Ukraine

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 200
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 345,250
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #28 most common country of origin

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S-F // Shutterstock

#35 (tie). Belgium

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 200
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 35,220
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.1%
- #98 most common country of origin

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Gianfranco Vivi // Shutterstock

#34. Costa Rica

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 204
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 88,084
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #66 most common country of origin

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Michal Knitl // Shutterstock

#33. Afghanistan

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 211
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 101,548
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #59 most common country of origin

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Simon // Pixabay

#32. Australia

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 218
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 92,483
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #64 most common country of origin

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Wikimedia Commons

#31. Israel

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 223
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%

National
- Number of residents: 135,672
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #50 most common country of origin

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Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#30. Spain

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 265
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%

National
- Number of residents: 115,113
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.3%
- #55 most common country of origin

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Unsplash

#29. Japan

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 291
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.7%

National
- Number of residents: 345,140
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #29 most common country of origin

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Jack Bkk // Shutterstock

#28. Thailand

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 314
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 255,345
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.6%
- #32 most common country of origin

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Pedro Szekely // Flickr

#27. Portugal

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 325
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 171,118
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #44 most common country of origin

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Augustin Lazaroiu // Shutterstock

#26. Romania

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 349
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%

National
- Number of residents: 162,046
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #45 most common country of origin

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Nahlik // Shutterstock

#25. Poland

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 357
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 410,841
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #21 most common country of origin

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Falkenpost // Pixabay

#24. Cuba

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 367
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 1,289,875
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.9%
- #7 most common country of origin

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Pixabay

#23. Italy

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 386
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%

National
- Number of residents: 332,857
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #30 most common country of origin

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PIxabay

#22. Taiwan

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 427
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 381,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #24 most common country of origin

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HandmadePictures // Shutterstock

#21. South Africa

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 431
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%

National
- Number of residents: 104,022
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.2%
- #56 most common country of origin

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Tupungato // Shutterstock

#20. France

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 481
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%

National
- Number of residents: 181,554
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.4%
- #41 most common country of origin

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Kalamazadkhan // Wikicommons

#19. Trinidad and Tobago

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 489
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%

National
- Number of residents: 230,035
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.5%
- #37 most common country of origin

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agchinook // Shutterstock

#18. Venezuela

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 491
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.2%

National
- Number of residents: 349,720
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.8%
- #27 most common country of origin

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Kys951 // Wikimedia Commons

#17. South Korea

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 539
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%

National
- Number of residents: 1,044,634
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.4%
- #9 most common country of origin

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JMRAFFi // Wikimedia Commons

#16. El Salvador

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 558
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%

National
- Number of residents: 1,381,008
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.1%
- #5 most common country of origin

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Viacheslav Lopatin // Shutterstock

#15. Russia

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 590
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.4%

National
- Number of residents: 391,641
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.9%
- #22 most common country of origin

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Christian Vinces // Shutterstock

#14. Peru

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 604
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%

National
- Number of residents: 451,076
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #18 most common country of origin

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byvalet // Shutterstock

#13. Jamaica

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 685
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%

National
- Number of residents: 741,386
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #13 most common country of origin

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Alexander Canas Arango // Shutterstock

#12. Colombia

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 778
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.9%

National
- Number of residents: 761,374
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.7%
- #12 most common country of origin

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Quangpraha // Pixabay

#11. Vietnam

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,056
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.5%

National
- Number of residents: 1,336,988
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.0%
- #6 most common country of origin

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Unsplash

#10. Canada

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,473
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.5%

National
- Number of residents: 808,566
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.8%
- #11 most common country of origin

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Marek Poplawski // Shutterstock

#9. Honduras

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,519
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.7%

National
- Number of residents: 651,123
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.5%
- #16 most common country of origin

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Max Pixel

#8. Germany

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,621
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.9%

National
- Number of residents: 560,368
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.3%
- #17 most common country of origin

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Kobby Dagan // Shutterstock

#7. Guatemala

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,685
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.1%

National
- Number of residents: 979,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.2%
- #10 most common country of origin

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User:Colin // Wikimedia Commons

#6. United Kingdom

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,698
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.1%

National
- Number of residents: 698,612
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.6%
- #14 most common country of origin

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Catarina Belova // Shutterstock

#5. Brazil

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,741
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.2%

National
- Number of residents: 433,479
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.0%
- #20 most common country of origin

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#4. China

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,796
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.3%

National
- Number of residents: 2,162,395
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.9%
- #3 most common country of origin

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Kriangkrai Thitimakorn // Shutterstock

#3. India

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 1,847
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.4%

National
- Number of residents: 2,561,906
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.8%
- #2 most common country of origin

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Joseph Oropel // Shutterstock

#2. Philippines

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 3,584
- Percent of foreign born residents: 8.6%

National
- Number of residents: 1,983,939
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.5%
- #4 most common country of origin

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Jakub Hejtmánek // Wikicommons

#1. Mexico

Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area
- Number of residents: 8,423
- Percent of foreign born residents: 20.3%

National
- Number of residents: 11,250,541
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.6%
- #1 most common country of origin