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METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Charleston Metro

Charleston, WV · 3 counties · 227,078 residents · 1,746 sq mi
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The short version

Charleston is home to 227,078 people. The median age is 42.2, about 5 years above the US median. The typical home is worth $95,190. The foreign-born share is 1%. About 21% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Median rent is $564 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Older
median age 42.2
US median: 37.2
Less educated
21% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
227,078
−4%since 2000
from 235,938 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
130 / sq mi
−4%since 2000
from 135 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
42.2
+6%since 2000
from 39.9 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
1,746 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
202K213K224K236K247K19902000201020202024Charleston
2024205K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 55.7%(12,885)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 95.8%(13,248)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 145.9%(13,330)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 195.9%(13,403)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 245.4%(12,293)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3412.3%(27,879)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4412.5%(28,407)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5415.3%(34,802)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6414.8%(33,555)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 748.7%(19,682)
US avg: 7%
75 to 845.6%(12,754)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over2.1%(4,840)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$41,865
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,380 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$24,517
+27%since 2000
from $19,351 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
23.3%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 22.4% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
14.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2000
from 15.8% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.458
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Information11.6%
US avg: 11.5%
Other services6.7%
US avg: 7%
Finance & insurance5.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade5.6%
US avg: 7.2%
Retail trade5.4%
US avg: 10.9%
Public administration5.4%
US avg: 4.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing5.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing5%
US avg: 0.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 4.2%
Transportation & warehousing3%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.2%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services1.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$95,190
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $71,309 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$564
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $427 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
70.0%
−1.6 ptssince 2000
from 71.6% in 2000
30.0% rent
Vacancy rate
11.8%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 12.7% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.34 people
+3%since 2009
from 2.28 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
15.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 15.4% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
33.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 33.7% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
2.3
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.3 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91.3%(215,430)
Black6%(14,041)
Hispanic / Latino0.6%(1,331)
Asian0.7%(1,707)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic90%(204,432)
Black6.2%(14,078)
Hispanic / Latino0.9%(1,942)
Asian0.9%(2,010)
Other3.3%(7,413)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican0.4%(884)
Puerto Rican0.1%(186)
Spaniard0.1%(164)
Cuban0%(95)
+ 1 more hispanic origin group with data
Ancestry
German14.8%(33,569)
Irish14.2%(32,196)
American13.3%(30,210)
English13.3%(30,188)
Scotch-Irish3.4%(7,735)
Italian3%(6,711)
Dutch2.6%(5,852)
Scottish2.4%(5,368)
French1.8%(4,155)
Polish1%(2,257)
Welsh0.8%(1,829)
Swedish0.6%(1,361)
+ 40 more ancestry groups with data
Arab0.6%(1,278)
Russian0.4%(865)
Lebanese0.4%(843)
Hungarian0.4%(822)
Norwegian0.3%(652)
British0.3%(596)
Greek0.3%(570)
Lithuanian0.2%(345)
Swiss0.1%(311)
Syrian0.1%(273)
West Indian0.1%(273)
Czech0.1%(250)
Croatian0.1%(219)
Belgian0.1%(205)
Slovak0.1%(205)
Danish0.1%(201)
Canadian0.1%(171)
Portuguese0.1%(168)
Romanian0.1%(152)
Turkish0.1%(138)
Austrian0.1%(132)
Iranian0.1%(101)
Finnish0%(92)
Jamaican0%(79)
Ukrainian0%(71)
Egyptian0%(68)
Bulgarian0%(61)
Nigerian0%(55)
Latvian0%(48)
Armenian0%(43)
Serbian0%(42)
Slovene0%(40)
Ethiopian0%(38)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
21.1%
+2.6 ptssince 2000
from 18.5% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
83.8%
+6.2 ptssince 2000
from 77.6% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
8.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 7.3% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.4 min
+40%since 2000
from 16.0 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
81.4%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 80.9% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
11.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
1.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
2.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
2.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
10.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
16.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 15.4% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
33.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 33.9% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 48.1% in 2009
Female
51.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 51.9% in 2009
Foreign born
1.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
11.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.4% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married32.9%(27,338)
Married50.3%(41,804)
Widowed3.3%(2,753)
Divorced13.5%(11,265)
Women 15+
Never married26.3%(23,376)
Married45.3%(40,254)
Widowed12.8%(11,348)
Divorced15.7%(13,977)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
4.9%
−8.0 ptssince 2013
from 12.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
55.1%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 54.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
9.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 9.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
25.5%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 24.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
27.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 28.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 3.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
62.5%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 61.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
49.6%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 49.6% 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)20.5%(2,261)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.3%(2,344)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era39.6%(4,366)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5%(549)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.5%(51)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 11,023 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
In this metro

Largest cities

CharlestonCENTRAL46,117South Charleston13,072St. Albans10,210Cross Lanes9,671Dunbar7,050Nitro6,270Pinch4,037Sissonville3,593Madison2,678Alum Creek1,749Coal Fork1,423Marmet1,416Chesapeake1,270Tornado1,114Belle1,088Rand1,064Clendenin859East Bank772Cedar Grove682Glasgow682Elkview671Danville630Big Chimney610Chelyan564Jefferson534Institute521Dupont City501Pratt458West Dunbar425Clay363

The 30 most populous of 43 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

3 component counties

Kanawha CountyCENTRAL172,381Boone County20,251Clay County7,538
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Charleston

Jackson
Pop 184,569
Joplin
Pop 208,796
Johnson City
Pop 216,416
Houma
Pop 199,668
Places similar to Charleston
Head to head

Compare Charleston side by side

CHARLESTON VS
Jackson
Income$60,896+45%
Home value$187,779+97%
Population184,569−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHARLESTON VS
Joplin
Income$62,065+48%
Home value$167,644+76%
Population208,796+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHARLESTON VS
Johnson City
Income$58,506+40%
Home value$222,250+133%
Population216,416+8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHARLESTON VS
Houma
Income$64,027+53%
Home value$190,386+100%
Population199,668same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Charleston, WV?

Charleston, WV has about 227,078 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Charleston, WV?

The typical household in Charleston, WV earns about $41,865 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Charleston, WV expensive?

In Charleston, WV, the median home is worth about $95,190, and the typical rent is about $564 a month.

How educated are people in Charleston, WV?

About 21.1% of adults age 25 and over in Charleston, WV hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Charleston, WV?

About 14.7% of people in Charleston, WV live below the federal poverty line.

Has Charleston, WV grown since 1990?

Yes, Charleston, WV has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 16,394 residents, a change of about -7 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →