Charleston is a city located in Kanawha County West Virginia. Charleston has a 2023 population of 46,692. It is also the county seat of Kanawha County.Charleston is currently declining at a rate of -1.39% annually and its population has decreased by -4.11% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 48,695 in 2020.
The average household income in Charleston is $86,319 with a poverty rate of 17.5%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Charleston is 41.7 years, 40.1 years for males, and 43.6 years for females.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Charleston was:
White
Black or African American
Two or more races
Asian
Native American
Other race
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 21,779 | 2.16 | 60.7 | 39.3 |
| Non Family | 10,309 | 1.18 | 51.3 | 48.7 |
| Married | 8,015 | 2.99 | 80.1 | 19.9 |
| Female | 2,726 | 3.13 | 39.1 | 60.9 |
| Male | 729 | 3.37 | 60.8 | 39.2 |
2.95
Average Family Size
2.16
Average Household Size
60.7%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
95.06% of Charleston residents speak only English, while 4.94% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 2.37% of the population.
rate
17.5%
Overall Poverty Rate
16.27%
Male Poverty Rate
18.66%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Charleston is Islander, with 100% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Charleston is Asian, with 6.1% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.52%. Among those working part-time, it was 22.04%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 28.63%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
41.7%
Overall Marriage Rate
42.9%
Male Marriage Rate
40.5%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
13.01%
Veteran Poverty Rate
35.97%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
58.1%
Labor Force Participation
54.3%
Employment Rate
6.3%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
74.84%
Born in Charleston
98.56%
Native Born
4.74%
Foreign Born
1.88%
Non Citizen
2.85%
Naturalized
98.56% of Charleston residents were born in the United States, with 74.84% having been born in West Virginia. 1.88% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 3,162 | -39,769 | 1.65% |
| 1880 | 4,192 | 1,030 | 2.86% |
| 1890 | 6,742 | 2,550 | 4.87% |
| 1900 | 11,099 | 4,357 | 5.11% |
| 1910 | 22,996 | 11,897 | 7.56% |
| 1920 | 39,608 | 16,612 | 5.59% |
| 1930 | 60,408 | 20,800 | 4.31% |
| 1940 | 67,914 | 7,506 | 1.18% |
| 1950 | 73,501 | 5,587 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | 85,796 | 12,295 | 1.56% |
| 1970 | 71,505 | -14,291 | -1.81% |
| 1980 | 63,968 | -7,537 | -1.11% |
| 1990 | 57,287 | -6,681 | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 53,421 | -3,866 | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 51,400 | ||
| 2011 | 51,146 | -254 | -0.49% |
| 2012 | 50,892 | -254 | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 50,638 | -254 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 50,384 | -254 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 50,130 | -254 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 49,876 | -254 | -0.51% |
| 2017 | 49,622 | -254 | -0.51% |
| 2018 | 49,368 | -254 | -0.51% |
| 2019 | 49,114 | -254 | -0.51% |
| 2020 | 48,695 | -419 | -0.85% |
| 2021 | 48,018 | -677 | -1.39% |
| 2022 | 47,350 | -668 | -1.39% |
| 2023 | 46,692 | -658 | -1.39% |
| 2024 | 46,043 | -649 | -1.39% |
| 2025 | 45,403 | -640 | -1.39% |
| 2026 | 44,772 | -631 | -1.39% |
| 2027 | 44,150 | -622 | -1.39% |
| 2028 | 43,536 | -614 | -1.39% |
| 2029 | 42,931 | -605 | -1.39% |