TickZone

Tick risk in Charleston County, South Carolina

Charleston County covers 16 towns and carries the 5th-highest tick-borne-disease baseline of South Carolina's 46 counties, with a Lyme rate of 1 cases per 100,000 people a year (179th of 1378 counties in the South). CDC surveillance lists Deer tick, American dog tick, Lone star tick, and Gulf Coast tick as established here. Pick your town below for today's score, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.

Highest and lowest tick risk in Charleston County

Peak-season modeled risk. Tick risk is local, even within one county.

At the summer peak, tick risk across Charleston County runs from Folly Beach (high) at the high end to Mount Pleasant (moderate) at the low end. The difference is habitat: forest cover across the county ranges from 15% to 89%, and more forest and woodland edge means more places ticks can quest for a host.

Tick species in Charleston County

CDC county surveillance (established or reported)

  • Deer tickEstablished
  • American dog tickEstablished
  • Lone star tickEstablished
  • Gulf Coast tickEstablished

Established in this county for the deer tick, the main Lyme carrier. “Not established” means no CDC surveillance record for Charleston County, not that a town is tick free. Source: CDC tick surveillance (ArboNET Tick Module), 2025.

Diseases found in local ticks

Lyme disease

Pathogens detected in ticks tested from Charleston County (CDC tick-testing surveillance, 2025). This lists what has been found, not how common it is.

Tick control in Charleston County, SC

Professional tick control across Charleston County usually means a barrier treatment along the lawn edge, leaf litter, stone walls, and shady borders where ticks wait for a host, applied two to four times a season by a licensed pest control company. It is the single most effective way to cut tick numbers in the part of the yard your family actually uses, and it matters most in Charleston County's more wooded towns.

How much does tick control cost in Charleston County?

Most Charleston County homeowners pay about $100 to $200 per visit for professional tick spraying, or roughly $350 to $600 for a full season of barrier treatments, depending on lot size and how wooded the property is. Quotes are free, so it costs nothing to get a real number for your yard.

Get a free tick control quote

From a vetted local tick exterminator serving Charleston County. No cost, no obligation.

Common questions about ticks in Charleston County

Which towns in Charleston County have the highest tick risk?

At the summer peak, Folly Beach carries the highest modeled tick risk in Charleston County, followed by Sullivan's Island, Seabrook Island, Kiawah Island, Lincolnville. Risk tracks how wooded a town is: forest cover across Charleston County ranges from 15% to 89%, and the more forest and woodland edge a town has, the more habitat ticks have to quest from. Mount Pleasant sits at the low end. Every town has its own daily score, so check the one nearest you.

What ticks live in Charleston County?

CDC surveillance records 4 established tick species in Charleston County: Deer tick, American dog tick, Lone star tick, Gulf Coast tick. The lone star tick is the tick most responsible for human bites here, and its bite causes alpha-gal syndrome; the blacklegged (deer) tick, the main Lyme carrier, is a minor factor this far south. "Not established" for a species means there is no CDC surveillance record for the county, not that the tick is absent.

Is Lyme disease common in Charleston County?

Charleston County reports about 1 Lyme cases per 100,000 people a year (U.S. CDC), the 179th-highest of 1378 counties in the South and the 5th-highest of South Carolina's 46 counties. Lyme is a smaller factor here than in the Northeast, but TickZone still uses this county rate as part of the disease baseline behind every town's score, alongside local lone-star tick pressure.

Does Charleston County have lone star ticks that cause alpha-gal syndrome?

Yes. The lone star tick is established in Charleston County and is the tick most responsible for human bites in the county. Its bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, a delayed allergy to red meat and other mammal products, along with ehrlichiosis and STARI. Learn the symptoms and what foods to avoid.

All towns in Charleston County

Tick risk is local. Pick the town nearest you.