Charleston, WV

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population
207,456
19.6% 1-year decline
US Senator
Shelley Moore Capito
Republican Party
US Senator
Jim Justice
Republican Party
2023 Median Age
43.9
0.228% 1-year increase
2023 Poverty Rate
16.6%
3.96% 1-year decrease
2023 Median Household Income
$58,089
6.64% 1-year growth
2023 Median Property Value
$128,900
2.46% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
86,279
16.4% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Charleston, WV had a population of 207k people with a median age of 43.9 and a median household income of $58,089. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Charleston, WV declined from 257,927 to 207,456, a −19.6% decrease and its median household income grew from $54,473 to $58,089, a 6.64% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, WV are White (Non-Hispanic) (87.8%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (5.31%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (3.36%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (1.05%), and Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) (0.837%).

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.

99.4% 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), West Virginia State University (347 degrees), and BridgeValley Community & Technical College (313 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Charleston, WV was $128,900, and the homeownership rate was 71.3%.

Most people in Charleston, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Charleston, WV was 2 cars per household.

Charleston, WV borders Beckley, WV, Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, and Logan, WV.

United StatesWest Virginia

Population & Diversity

Charleston, WV is home to a population of 207k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.59% of Charleston, WV residents were born outside of the country (3.3k people).

In 2023, there were 16.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (182k people) in Charleston, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 6.98k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%
2023 Citizenship
99.4%
2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.4% 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 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, WV
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    182k ± 716
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    11k ± 639
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    6.98k ± 725
1.34%
Hispanic Population
2.78k people

In 2023, there were 16.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (182k people) in Charleston, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 6.98k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

1.34% of the people in Charleston, WV are hispanic (2.78k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Charleston, WV as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for West Virginia.
Most Common Origin
  1. India
    2,277 ± 1,171 people
  2. Mexico
    2,211 ± 1,154 people
  3. Germany
    1,987 ± 1,094 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of West Virginia was India, the natal country of 2,277 West Virginia residents, followed by Mexico with 2,211 and Germany with 1,987.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.59%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
3.3k people
1.49%
2022 Foreign-Born Population
3.83k people

As of 2023, 1.59% of Charleston, WV residents (3.3k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Charleston, WV was 1.49%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    4,465 ± 437
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    2,480 ± 488
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    1,713 ± 268

Charleston, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.8 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of Charleston, WV employs 86.3k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Charleston, WV were Health Care & Social Assistance (16,920 people), Retail Trade (9,920 people), and Public Administration (7,676 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($75,893), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($73,447), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($67,482).

Employment

Occupations

86.3k
2023 Value
± 2,422
−16.4%
1 Year decline
± 4.59%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Charleston, WV declined at a rate of −16.4%, from 103k employees to 86.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Charleston, WV, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (10,935 people), Sales & Related Occupations (8,418 people), and Management Occupations (6,568 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Charleston, WV.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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

86.3k
2023 Value
± 2,422
−16.4%
1 Year decline
± 4.59%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Charleston, WV declined at a rate of −16.4%, from 103k employees to 86.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Charleston, WV, are Health Care & Social Assistance (16,920 people), Retail Trade (9,920 people), and Public Administration (7,676 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.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$48,008
Median earning men ± $1,522
$37,168
Median earning women ± $1,069

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($74,102), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($64,813), and Public Administration ($62,463).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($63,000), Construction ($52,069), and Information ($49,970).

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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.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 401
    Other Services (except Public Administration)
  2. 266
    Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
  3. 241
    Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $1.22M
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $359k
    Finance and Insurance
  3. $354k
    Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Charleston, WV awarded 2,152 degrees. The student population of Charleston, WV in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 4,051 male students and 4,745 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Charleston, WV are White (1,528 and 73.3%), followed by Unknown (206 and 9.88%), Black or African American (177 and 8.49%), and Hispanic or Latino (91 and 4.36%).

The largest universities in Charleston, WV by number of degrees awarded are University of Charleston (1,000 and 46.5%), West Virginia State University (347 and 16.1%), and BridgeValley Community & Technical College (313 and 14.5%).

The most popular majors in Charleston, WV are Organizational Leadership (337 and 15.7%), Registered Nursing (278 and 12.9%), and Other Business, Management, Marketing, & Related Support Services (141 and 6.55%).

The median tuition costs in Charleston, WV are $21,110 for private four year colleges, and $8,924 and $14,544 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Charleston, WV, the percentage of applicants admitted was 87.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 8,796 (46.1% men and 53.9% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 8,796 students enrolled in Charleston, WV, 46.1% men and 53.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,339 records, of which 57% were women and 43% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Business Administration & Management
    90 degrees awarded
  2. Registered Nursing
    65 degrees awarded
  3. Organizational Leadership
    336 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Charleston, WV was General Business Administration & Management with 90 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. University of Charleston
    1,000 degrees awarded
  2. West Virginia State University
    347 degrees awarded
  3. BridgeValley Community & Technical College
    313 degrees awarded

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

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,131 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Charleston, WV, which is 1.11 times more than the 1,021 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 1,528 degrees mean that there were 7.42 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 206 degrees awarded.

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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.

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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 for-profit, 2-year ($1,749) 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.

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Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

In 2023, 0.711% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.616% of women were in the same situation.

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

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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 2023 were High School or Equivalent (563k), Some college (280k), and Secondary Education (213k).

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.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Charleston, WV was $128,900 in 2023, which is 0.425 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $125,800 to $128,900, a 2.46% increase. The homeownership rate in Charleston, WV is 71.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in Charleston, WV have an average commute time of 23.8 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.

Housing

Property

$128,900
Median Property Value 2023
±$4,111
$62,475
Median Property Taxes
±$1,899

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.

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Rent vs Own

71.3%
Homeownership
2023
65.5%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2023

In 2023, 71.3% of the housing units in Charleston, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.1%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$58,089
Median Household Income
± $1,580
87.7k
Number of Households
± 2,316

In 2023, the median household income of the 87.7k households in Charleston, WV grew to $58,089 from the previous year's value of $54,473.

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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Charleston, WV is from West Virginia.
0.443
2023 Wage GINI in West Virginia
0.449
2022 Wage GINI in West Virginia

In 2023, the income inequality in West Virginia was 0.443 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.39% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for West Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023
  1. Drove Alone (78.2%)
  2. Carpooled (8.1%)
  3. Worked At Home (8%)

In 2023, 78.2% of workers in Charleston, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.1%) and those who worked at home (8%).

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.

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Commute Time

23.8 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Charleston, WV have a shorter commute time (23.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.88% 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.

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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.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Charleston, WV (33.8k out of 204k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 55 - 64.

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.

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Health

95.2% of the population of Charleston, WV has health coverage, with 41.5% on employee plans, 24.1% on Medicaid, 16.7% on Medicare, 11.3% on non-group plans, and 1.47% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in West Virginia see 1,319 patients per year on average, which represents a 3.61% increase from the previous year (1,273 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1705 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 558 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.
1,319 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in West Virginia

Primary care physicians in West Virginia see an average of 1,319 patients per year. This represents a 3.61% increase from the previous year (1,273 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.6% under 18 years, 18.2% between 18 and 34 years, 38.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

4.82%
Uninsured
41.5%
Employer Coverage
24.1%
Medicaid
16.7%
Medicare
11.3%
Non-Group
1.47%
Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Charleston, WV declined by 9.43% from 5.33% to 4.82%.

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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