West Virginia · Place GEOID 5414600
Charleston city
ACS 5-year 2024 estimates · population 47,421 · 25,544 housing units
Section 1
Community Profile
Population, demographics, household composition, and income.
Community Data Summary
| Charleston city | West Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 47,421 | 1,778,373 |
| Population density (per sq. mi.) | 1,510.37 | — |
| Median household income | $65,812 | $60,534 |
| HUD Area Median Income (4-person, 100%) | — | — |
| Households | 21,116 | — |
| Average household size | 2.15 people | — |
| Owner-occupied | 63.3% | 74.9% |
| Renter-occupied | 36.7% | 25.1% |
| Race | 77.0% White · 9.6% Black | 0.0% White · 0.0% Black |
Racial composition
Educational attainment (population 25+)
Median Household Income by Tenure
Median Household Income by Age of Householder
Median Household Income by Number of Earners
Household Size
Income by Number of Earners
| Earners | Share | Median income | Attainable monthly housing cost | Attainable home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 earners | 20.0% | $63,893 | $1,597 | $206,812 |
| 1 earner | 33.0% | $73,654 | $1,841 | $243,146 |
| 2 earners | 39.2% | $128,229 | $3,206 | $446,292 |
| 3+ earners | 7.8% | $183,833 | $4,596 | $653,269 |
Households
21,116
Average size: 2.15 people
Households with children
4,274
20.2% of households
Per-capita income
$49,097
Poverty rate: 15.8%
Section 2
Residential Market Analysis
Housing stock characteristics — tenure, type, age, size, vacancy, rents.
Tenure
Structure type
Housing stock by decade
Housing size mismatch
Home value distribution
Monthly Housing Costs
Number of Bedrooms
Median rent by bedroom
Renters by age
Owners by age
Vacancy composition
All 4,428 vacant units split into Census's seven categories. Frictional vacancy (units actively on the market) reflects healthy churn. Structural vacancy (seasonal, migrant, other) sits outside the market for year-round residents — high values change how the headline vacancy rate should be read.
Vacant units by type
Frictional vs structural
Seasonal / recreational share of all housing
0.5%
120 units of 25,544 total
Housing units held for seasonal or recreational use.
"Other vacant" share of all housing
10.9%
2,776 units of 25,544 total
⚑ Above the 5% threshold — possible indicator of disinvestment, abandonment, or condemned stock.
Section 3
Workforce Housing Needs Assessment
Affordability, cost burden, and the housing options for households in the workforce income range.
Workforce range — ACS median household income
Place-level median from ACS 5-year estimates. A household at 100% MHI in Charleston city should be able to afford a home up to roughly — (30% housing budget, default mortgage terms).
Workforce range — HUD Area Median Income
HUD AMI data not available for this place's parent county.
Affordability calculator
Follows the standard 30%-of-gross-income affordability rule.
Renter cost burden
Owner cost burden by income
Household income — owners vs renters
Methodology & sources
All figures derive from the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates pulled directly from the Census Data API at the place geography level. State and national comparisons are population-weighted aggregates of county-level estimates (an approximation; ACS publishes its own state and national medians which can differ slightly).
HUD Area Median Income figures are inherited from the parent county (HUD publishes Income Limits at county/MSA level). BLS industry (QCEW) and occupation wage (OEWS) sections from the county profiles are not shown on place pages because those datasets are not published at sub-county geography — see the parent county profile for that context.
The affordability calculator uses a 30% housing-budget rule with a 30-year mortgage. Defaults are 7% interest, 5% down, $2,500/year taxes and insurance, and 0.5% PMI — adjustable above.
Place GEOID: 5414600 · Parent county FIPS: —.