Census Bureau Says 40 Million People
on the Atlantic Seaboard in Tropical Storm Hanna’s Path

     Based on the projected path of Tropical Storm Hanna, the U.S. Census Bureau today calculated that some 40.4 million people in 192 counties along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States could feel the effects of the storm.

     According to the National Hurricane Center, as of 2 p.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 5, Tropical Storm Hanna was projected to make its initial landfall in Charleston County, S.C., sometime early Saturday morning. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings and watches were in effect from Charlton County, Ga., to New London, Conn.

     A storm warning means that either tropical storm or hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours.

     According to the Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey, the median housing value for Charleston County was $229,800. Additionally, 9.2 percent of the 137,000 occupied homes were without access to a vehicle. About 82 percent of the occupied homes were built before 1990.

     The 2007 median household income was about $47,900, and about 15 percent of the population lived in poverty.

     According to the Census Bureau’s 2006 County Business Patterns, there were 11,959 businesses in Charleston County with paid employees, employing 179,971 workers, with about $5.9 billion in total annual payroll. Three sectors accounted for 44 percent of all employment in the county – retail trade, health care and social assistance, and accommodation & food services.