North Charleston is a city in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties within the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, North Charleston had a population of 114,852, making it the 3rd-most populous city in the state, and the 248th-most populous city in the United States. North Charleston is a principal city within the Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 799,636 in 2020.