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CITY

Charles

West Virginia · 9,329 residents (2025 est.) · 5.87 sq mi
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The short version

Charles is home to 7,337 people in West Virginia. Since 2000 the city has more than doubled, up 4,430 people. That is roughly 50% ahead of the West Virginia median. Getting to work takes 36 minutes on average. 75% of homes are owner-occupied. Poverty is uncommon here, at 6.5% of people here.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.5
US median: 38.9
Average education
36% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 83%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

7,337
+152%since 2000
from 2,907 in 2000
9,329 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
1,251 / sq mi
+72%since 2009
from 729 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
38.5
−1%since 2000
from 38.7 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
5.87 sq mi
Population, 19902024
2K4K5K6K8K19902000201020202024Charles
20247K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.9%(360)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97.7%(568)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.5%(551)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.1%(371)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 243%(218)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.9%(1,023)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4418.4%(1,353)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5415.5%(1,137)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6410.8%(790)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.4%(691)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.1%(228)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over0.6%(47)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

$89,263
+51%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,538 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
$44,136
+144%since 2000
from $18,104 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
57.7%
+25.6 ptssince 2009
from 32.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
6.5%
−9.3 ptssince 2000
from 15.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
0.373
−16%since 2010
from 0.442 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services11.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade9.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration5.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Information5.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade4.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance3.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Arts, entertainment, food2.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Professional, scientific, technical1.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Education & health services1.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Transportation & warehousing0.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

$377,700
+83%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $113,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
$1,115
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $454 in 2000
US average: $1,442
74.5%
+23.2 ptssince 2000
from 51.3% in 2000
25.5% rent
7.7%
−7.0 ptssince 2009
from 14.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
2.59 people
+14%since 2009
from 2.27 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
21.3%
−12.6 ptssince 2009
from 33.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
27.9%
−11.5 ptssince 2009
from 39.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
4.2
−23%since 2009
from 5.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
52
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic77.1%(2,242)
Black17.4%(506)
Hispanic / Latino2.5%(74)
Asian1%(30)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic66%(4,846)
Black13.9%(1,017)
Hispanic / Latino13.9%(1,022)
Asian1.8%(131)
Other4.4%(321)
65
+37%since 2009
from 48 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Peruvian5%(369)
Mexican3.2%(232)
Salvadoran1.8%(134)
Colombian1%(77)
Cuban0.6%(46)
Puerto Rican0.6%(41)
Uruguayan0.2%(16)
Ecuadorian0.2%(13)
Bolivian0.2%(12)
Guatemalan0.1%(11)
+ 1 more hispanic origin group with data
Venezuelan0.1%(10)
Asian origin
Bangladeshi0.6%(47)
Asian Indian0.6%(45)
Filipino0.3%(22)
Vietnamese0.2%(17)
Japanese0.2%(13)
Ancestry
German20.6%(1,508)
English14.2%(1,045)
Irish10.2%(748)
American7.1%(520)
Italian5.5%(407)
Swedish5.4%(394)
Scottish3.1%(231)
Polish2.4%(174)
Ethiopian1.9%(142)
Scotch-Irish1.4%(104)
French1.4%(100)
+ 15 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian1%(72)
Russian0.9%(67)
Dutch0.4%(33)
British0.4%(32)
Hungarian0.4%(32)
Nigerian0.4%(32)
Danish0.3%(23)
Greek0.2%(18)
Austrian0.2%(15)
Ukrainian0.2%(14)
Czech0.2%(13)
Swiss0.2%(13)
Lithuanian0.1%(9)
Latvian0.1%(8)
Section 05

Education

36.1%
+11.3 ptssince 2000
from 24.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.0%
+16.4 ptssince 2000
from 72.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
13.1%
+4.7 ptssince 2000
from 8.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

36.2 min
+41%since 2000
from 25.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
65.9%
−9.0 ptssince 2009
from 74.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
10.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
0.5%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
20.7%
+17.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
1.2%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
0.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
6.5%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

5.9%
−2.3 ptssince 2011
from 8.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
70.2%
+8.2 ptssince 2011
from 62.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.9%
−3.2 ptssince 2020
from 79.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
11.0%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 13.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
42.3%
+6.6 ptssince 2009
from 35.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

50.4%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 51.2% in 2009
49.6%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 48.8% in 2009
10.9%
+8.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
9.4%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
16.3%
+1.7 ptssince 2012
from 14.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
9.0%
−4.1 ptssince 2013
from 13.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
93.0%
+17.9 ptssince 2017
from 75.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.8%
+7.7 ptssince 2020
from 90.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
81.9%
−3.7 ptssince 2020
from 85.6% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
88.4%
+1.8 ptssince 2016
from 86.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
8.7%
Unchangedsince 2016
from 8.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married36.5%(1,038)
Married53.5%(1,521)
Widowed1.1%(32)
Divorced8.9%(252)
Women 15+
Never married20.6%(622)
Married56.1%(1,691)
Widowed7%(210)
Divorced16.3%(492)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

9.0%
−4.1 ptssince 2013
from 13.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
68.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 67.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.2%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 11.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
12.5%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 14.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
11.3%
−6.5 ptssince 2020
from 17.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 3.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
78.2%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 75.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
24.3%
−6.6 ptssince 2020
from 30.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)46.9%(246)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)33.8%(177)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era20.4%(107)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War0%(0)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 524 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Charles, West Virginia?

Charles, West Virginia has about 7,337 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Charles, West Virginia?

The typical household in Charles, West Virginia earns about $89,263 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Charles, West Virginia expensive?

In Charles, West Virginia, the median home is worth about $377,700, and the typical rent is about $1,115 a month.

How educated are people in Charles, West Virginia?

About 36.1% of adults age 25 and over in Charles, West Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Charles, West Virginia?

About 6.5% of people in Charles, West Virginia live below the federal poverty line.

Has Charles, West Virginia grown since 1990?

Yes, Charles, West Virginia has grown since 1990. The population has added about 4,445 residents, a change of about 154 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →