The People Who Make Charleston Work Are Being Left Behind
DJ Hampton, President and CEO of Trident United Way
April 4, 2026
Charleston is one of the best places to live in America, unless you’re one of the thousands of working families struggling to afford it.
If you read the Post and Courier a couple of weeks ago, you probably saw one of the most predictable headlines imaginable: Charleston was once again named the Best City in the South by the readers of Southern Living, for the 10th year in a row.
As someone who moved here just three years ago, I can tell you firsthand, it’s easy to see why. My family and I fell in love with Charleston almost immediately. The history, the culture, the food, the people, it’s one of the most special places I’ve ever lived.
But I’ve also seen what can happen when a community changes faster than the people who call it home can keep up. I grew up in upstate New York, in what was once one of the most prosperous towns in the state. In the 1970s and 80s, it was the kind of place people pointed to as a model, with strong jobs, stable families, and a real sense of opportunity.
But over time, those jobs disappeared. Globalization hit. Industries left. And in what felt like a relatively short period, that same community became one of the poorest in the region.
The people didn’t change. The opportunities did.
That experience has stayed with me, and it’s part of what I think about when I hear Charleston celebrated as one of the best places to live in America. Because while that’s absolutely true for many, it’s not true for everyone. And if we’re not careful, the gap between those two realities will continue to grow.
Of course, Charleston’s success is well-earned. Even if most of us wouldn’t mind a little less traffic on the peninsula, it’s not hard to see why this city continues to top the list. The food, the culture, the architecture, and the traditions make it one of the most unique places anywhere in the world.
But with that success comes a cost, and in Charleston, that cost is increasingly literal. Going out to dinner downtown has turned into a game of seeing who can keep date night under $100. Two entrees, an appetizer, and a couple of drinks can quickly turn into a surprisingly expensive evening.
And it’s not just eating out.
The cost of everyday essentials, from groceries to childcare to housing to transportation, have risen dramatically. Over the past five years, the cost of feeding a family has increased nearly 30 percent, while restaurant meals are up even more.
Now ask yourself: how many people received a 30 or 35 percent raise during that same time?
Not many.
And that’s where the real story begins. These are not abstract statistics or distant challenges. These are working families in our community who are doing everything right — and still falling behind.
At Trident United Way, we call these families ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
These are hardworking members of our community who earn too much to qualify for traditional assistance but still struggle to afford the basics. They are doing everything right — working, raising families, contributing to their communities — and yet one unexpected expense can push them into crisis.
In Charleston County for example, 35 percent of our population falls below the ALICE threshold. That means more than one out of every three people in our community is struggling to afford the essentials.
And here’s the part that often gets overlooked: The people who make Charleston Charleston are increasingly the ones being left behind.
They’re the servers in our restaurants, the workers in our hotels, the childcare providers, the retail employees, the people who keep this city running every day.
There is no single face of ALICE. These families come from every background, every neighborhood, and every walk of life.
But they all share one thing in common: They are working hard and still falling behind.
The lesson I carry from my hometown is this: A community can look strong on the surface while quietly becoming less stable underneath. And by the time everyone sees it, it’s much harder to fix.
Charleston has an opportunity to do something different.
At Trident United Way, we have set an ambitious goal: helping 15,000 families move out of poverty by 2035.
One of the ways we’re doing that is through our family coaching initiative, working directly with families to identify their biggest barriers and connect them to the resources they need to become financially stable.
But we cannot do it alone.
If Charleston is going to remain one of the best places to live in America, it must be a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, not just some.
I hope you’ll join us in making that possible.