South Charleston, WV

Census Place

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2023 Population

13,594

0.495% 1-year growth

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

41.1

0.983% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

21%

0.526% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$59,616

1.46% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$144,800

1.3% 1-year decline

2023 Employed Population

6,531

2.77% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, South Charleston, WV had a population of 13.6k people with a median age of 41.1 and a median household income of $59,616. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of South Charleston, WV grew from 13,527 to 13,594, a 0.495% increase and its median household income grew from $58,756 to $59,616, a 1.46% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in South Charleston, WV are White (Non-Hispanic) (84.9%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (7.39%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (2.64%), Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) (2.02%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (1.51%).

None of the households in South 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.

99.8% of the residents in South Charleston, WV are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in South Charleston, WV are BridgeValley Community & Technical College (313 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2023, the median property value in South Charleston, WV was $144,800, and the homeownership rate was 68.9%.

Most people in South Charleston, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.9 minutes. The average car ownership in South Charleston, WV was 2 cars per household.

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

Population & Diversity

South Charleston, WV is home to a population of 13.6k people, from which 99.8% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.52% of South Charleston, WV residents were born outside of the country (206 people).

In 2023, there were 11.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (11.5k people) in South Charleston, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.01k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 359 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

99.8%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.8% of South Charleston, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in South Charleston, WV was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in South Charleston, WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
11.5k ± 428
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.01k ± 358
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
359 ± 227

1.17%

Hispanic Population

159 people

1.17% of the people in South Charleston, WV are hispanic (159 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in South 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

India
2,277 ± 1,171 people
Mexico
2,211 ± 1,154 people
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.

Foreign-Born Population

1.52%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

206 people

2.03%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

274 people

As of 2023, 1.52% of South Charleston, WV residents (206 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 South Charleston, WV was 2.03%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
216 ± 104
Vietnam
192 ± 91
Gulf War (2001-)
40 ± 54

South Charleston, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.13 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of South Charleston, WV employs 6.53k people. In 2023, the largest industries in South Charleston, WV were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,159 people), Retail Trade (1,051 people), and Public Administration (639 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($79,286), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($79,286), and Educational Services ($66,875).

Employment

Occupations

6.53k

2023 Value

± 685

2.77%

1 Year growth

± 14.5%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in South Charleston, WV grew at a rate of 2.77%, from 6.36k employees to 6.53k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in South Charleston, WV, are Sales & Related Occupations (993 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (925 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (586 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of South Charleston, WV.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

6.53k

2023 Value

± 685

2.77%

1 Year growth

± 14.5%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in South Charleston, WV grew at a rate of 2.77%, from 6.36k employees to 6.53k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in South Charleston, WV, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,159 people), Retail Trade (1,051 people), and Public Administration (639 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of South Charleston, WV, though some of these residents may live in South Charleston, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,441

Median earning men ± $15,649

$40,331

Median earning women ± $4,497

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($87,771), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($85,858), and Public Administration ($76,404).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($52,250), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($52,243), and Public Administration ($48,140).

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 South Charleston, WV awarded 313 degrees. The student population of South Charleston, WV in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 737 male students and 1,056 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in South Charleston, WV are White (288 and 92%), followed by Unknown (9 and 2.88%), Hispanic or Latino (7 and 2.24%), and Black or African American (6 and 1.92%).

The largest universities in South Charleston, WV by number of degrees awarded are BridgeValley Community & Technical College (313 and 100%).

The most popular majors in South Charleston, WV are Registered Nursing (56 and 17.9%), General Studies (23 and 7.35%), and Construction Engineering Technology (22 and 7.03%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,793 students enrolled in South Charleston, WV, 41.1% men and 58.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,608 records, of which 59.2% were women and 40.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
56 degrees awarded
General Studies
23 degrees awarded
Construction Engineering Technology
22 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in South Charleston, WV was Registered Nursing with 56 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

BridgeValley Community & Technical College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

313 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was BridgeValley Community & Technical College with 313 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 149 men were awarded degrees from institutions in South Charleston, WV, which is 0.909 times less than the 164 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 288 degrees mean that there were 32 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 9 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

Public, 2-year ($4,682) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($600) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,468) 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 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.

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in South Charleston, WV was $144,800 in 2023, which is 0.477 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $146,700 to $144,800, a 1.3% decrease. The homeownership rate in South Charleston, WV is 68.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in South Charleston, WV have an average commute time of 18.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in South Charleston, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$144,800

Median Property Value 2023

±$18,220

$4,204

Median Property Taxes

±$527

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 South Charleston, WV the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

68.9%

Homeownership

2023

63.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 68.9% of the housing units in South Charleston, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 69.8%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

The following map shows all of the places in South 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.

$59,616

Median Household Income

± $5,660

6.11k

Number of Households

± 635

In 2023, the median household income of the 6.11k households in South Charleston, WV grew to $59,616 from the previous year's value of $58,756.

The following chart displays the households in South 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 South 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (77.7%)
Carpooled (9.2%)
Worked At Home (8.32%)

In 2023, 77.7% of workers in South Charleston, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.2%) and those who worked at home (8.32%).

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

18.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in South Charleston, WV have a shorter commute time (18.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.7% of the workforce in South Charleston, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in South 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 South Charleston, WV distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in South Charleston, WV have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

21% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in South Charleston, WV (2.85k out of 13.6k 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 12 - 14, followed by Males 45 - 54 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in South 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

95.5% of the population of South Charleston, WV has health coverage, with 45.1% on employee plans, 24.4% on Medicaid, 15.7% on Medicare, 9.04% on non-group plans, and 1.26% 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, 46.8% were men and 53.2% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22% under 18 years, 18.2% between 18 and 34 years, 41% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.8% were men and 53.2% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.47%

Uninsured

45.1%

Employer Coverage

24.4%

Medicaid

15.7%

Medicare

9.04%

Non-Group

1.26%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in South Charleston, WV grew by 6.26% from 4.21% to 4.47%.

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

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