Charleston, WV

Census Place

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2023 Population

47,918

1.03% 1-year decline

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

42.6

0.948% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

16.5%

3.05% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$64,512

9.52% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$187,300

8.39% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

22,025

1.22% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Charleston, WV had a population of 47.9k people with a median age of 42.6 and a median household income of $64,512. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Charleston, WV declined from 48,415 to 47,918, a −1.03% decrease and its median household income grew from $58,902 to $64,512, a 9.52% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, WV are White (Non-Hispanic) (75.9%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (11.8%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (7.45%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (2.68%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (1.01%).

None of the households in Charleston, WV reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.6% of the residents in Charleston, WV are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Charleston, WV are University of Charleston (1,000 degrees awarded in 2023), Charleston School of Beauty Culture (43 degrees), and Ross Medical Education Center-Charleston (37 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Charleston, WV was $187,300, and the homeownership rate was 62.8%.

Most people in Charleston, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Charleston, WV was 2 cars per household.

United States West Virginia Kanawha County, WV Charleston, WV Kanawha County PUMA, WV

Population & Diversity

Charleston, WV is home to a population of 47.9k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2023, 3.84% of Charleston, WV residents were born outside of the country (1.84k people).

In 2023, there were 6.45 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (36.4k people) in Charleston, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.64k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.57k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

98.3%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 98.6% of Charleston, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Charleston, WV was 98.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Charleston, WV compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
36.4k ± 792
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
5.64k ± 631
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
3.57k ± 644

1.93%

Hispanic Population

925 people

1.93% of the people in Charleston, WV are hispanic (925 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Charleston, WV as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for West Virginia.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
2,064 ± 1,115 people
Germany
1,923 ± 1,076 people
China
1,815 ± 1,045 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of West Virginia was Mexico, the natal country of 2,064 West Virginia residents, followed by Germany with 1,923 and China with 1,815.

Foreign-Born Population

3.84%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.84k people

4.3%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

2.08k people

As of 2023, 3.84% of Charleston, WV residents (1.84k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Charleston, WV was 4.3%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Charleston, WV compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
722 ± 175
Gulf War (2001-)
649 ± 220
Gulf War (1990s)
318 ± 120

Charleston, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.11 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Charleston, WV employs 22k people. The largest industries in Charleston, WV are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,497 people), Accommodation & Food Services (2,209 people), and Retail Trade (2,087 people), and the highest paying industries are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($123,233), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($122,644), and Utilities ($95,385).

Males in West Virginia have an average income that is 1.33 times higher than the average income of females, which is $50,743. The income inequality in West Virginia (measured using the Gini index) is 0.449, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

22k

2023 Value

± 1,217

1.22%

1 Year growth

± 7.59%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Charleston, WV grew at a rate of 1.22%, from 21.8k employees to 22k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Charleston, WV, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,284 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,099 people), and Health Diagnosing & Treating Practitioners & Other Technical Occupations (2,040 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Charleston, WV.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in West Virginia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

22k

2023 Value

± 1,217

1.22%

1 Year growth

± 7.59%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Charleston, WV grew at a rate of 1.22%, from 21.8k employees to 22k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Charleston, WV, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,497 people), Accommodation & Food Services (2,209 people), and Retail Trade (2,087 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Charleston, WV, though some of these residents may live in Charleston, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,461

Median earning men ± $3,591

$43,750

Median earning women ± $4,895

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($123,233), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($71,310), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($67,059).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Information ($73,930), Manufacturing ($71,724), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($66,875).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.

Y-Axis

0.583%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 690k people employed in West Virginia. This represents a 0.583% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 15%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in West Virginia.

Education

In 2023, universities in Charleston, WV awarded 1,101 degrees. The student population of Charleston, WV in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 1,703 male students and 1,178 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Charleston, WV are White (656 and 62.1%), followed by Unknown (166 and 15.7%), Black or African American (111 and 10.5%), and Hispanic or Latino (81 and 7.66%).

The largest universities in Charleston, WV by number of degrees awarded are University of Charleston (1,000 and 90.8%), Charleston School of Beauty Culture (43 and 3.91%), and Ross Medical Education Center-Charleston (37 and 3.36%).

The most popular majors in Charleston, WV are Organizational Leadership (337 and 30.6%), Registered Nursing (179 and 16.3%), and Other Business, Management, Marketing, & Related Support Services (141 and 12.8%).

The median tuition cost in Charleston, WV for private four year colleges is $21,110.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Charleston, WV, the percentage of applicants admitted was 64.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 24%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 2,881 (59.1% men and 40.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 2,881 students enrolled in Charleston, WV, 59.1% men and 40.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,806 records, of which 44.6% were women and 55.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Organizational Leadership
336 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
58 degrees awarded
Sport & Fitness Management
21 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Charleston, WV was Organizational Leadership with 336 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Charleston, WV according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Charleston
1,000 degrees awarded
Charleston School of Beauty Culture
43 degrees awarded
Ross Medical Education Center-Charleston
37 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Charleston with 1,000 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 632 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Charleston, WV, which is 1.35 times more than the 469 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 656 degrees mean that there were 3.95 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 166 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($21,110) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($500) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,800) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.

Measure

In 2022, 0.661% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.559% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (549k), Some college (279k), and Secondary Education (210k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Charleston, WV was $187,300 in 2023, which is 0.617 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $172,800 to $187,300, a 8.39% increase. The homeownership rate in Charleston, WV is 62.8%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Charleston, WV have an average commute time of 17.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Charleston, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Charleston, WV is $64,512. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Charleston, WV was Census Tract 19.01 with a value of $118,527, followed by Census Tract 18 and Census Tract 19.02, with respective values of $118,100 and $115,387.

Housing

Property

$187,300

Median Property Value 2023

±$8,319

$13,327

Median Property Taxes

±$834

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Charleston, WV the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Charleston, WV compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

62.8%

Homeownership

2023

66%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 62.8% of the housing units in Charleston, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 60.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Charleston, WV compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 19.01
Census Tract 18
Census Tract 19.02

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Charleston, WV was Census Tract 19.01 with a value of $118,527, followed by Census Tract 18 and Census Tract 19.02, with respective values of $118,100 and $115,387.

The following map shows all of the places in Charleston, WV colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$64,512

Median Household Income

± $3,337

21.2k

Number of Households

± 1,069

In 2023, the median household income of the 21.2k households in Charleston, WV grew to $64,512 from the previous year's value of $58,902.

The following chart displays the households in Charleston, WV distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Charleston, WV is from West Virginia.

0.449

2022 Wage GINI in West Virginia

0.447

2021 Wage GINI in West Virginia

In 2022, the income inequality in West Virginia was 0.449 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.523% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for West Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in West Virginia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in West Virginia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (70.7%)
Worked At Home (11.2%)
Carpooled (8.51%)

In 2023, 70.7% of workers in Charleston, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.2%) and those who carpooled to work (8.51%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

17.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Charleston, WV have a shorter commute time (17.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.67% of the workforce in Charleston, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Charleston, WV compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Charleston, WV distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Charleston, WV have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Charleston, WV (7.61k out of 46.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Charleston, WV is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

95.6% of the population of Charleston, WV has health coverage, with 44.5% on employee plans, 22.1% on Medicaid, 15.7% on Medicare, 12.1% on non-group plans, and 1.28% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Kanawha County, WV see 728 patients per year on average, which represents a 1.09% decrease from the previous year (736 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1119 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 406 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Kanawha County, WV.

728 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Kanawha County, WV

Primary care physicians in Kanawha County, WV see an average of 728 patients per year. This represents a 1.09% decrease from the previous year (736 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Kanawha County, WV in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.9% under 18 years, 19.8% between 18 and 34 years, 38.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.7% were men and 52.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

4.36%

Uninsured

44.5%

Employer Coverage

22.1%

Medicaid

15.7%

Medicare

12.1%

Non-Group

1.28%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Charleston, WV declined by 16.3% from 5.21% to 4.36%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Charleston, WV changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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