HomeWest VirginiaKanawha CountyCharleston
Charleston, West Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Charleston is a Census city of 47,421 people across 31.40 square miles of land, in Kanawha County. Median household income is $65,812, 63.3 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 70 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $32.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Charleston
What Charleston is
- Census place typecity
- Land area31.4 sq mi
- Water area1.14 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,510
- County holding the largest share of its areaKanawha County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
How many people live in Charleston
- Population47,421
- Median age43.0
- Population under 189,039
- Share under 1819.1 percent
- Population 65 and over10,007
- Share 65 and over21.1 percent
- Households21,116
- Family households11,362
- Share of households that are families53.8 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
Income and work in Charleston
- Median household income$65,812
- Per capita income$49,097
- Civilian labor force22,833
- Employed21,346
- Unemployed1,487 plus or minus 322
- Unemployment rate6.5 percent plus or minus 1.4
- Adults 25 and over34,685
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher93.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher45.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree21.7 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
Housing in Charleston
- Housing units25,544
- Occupied units21,116
- Vacant units4,428
- Vacancy rate17.3 percent
- Owner occupied13,358
- Renter occupied7,758
- Ownership rate63.3 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$203,300
- Median gross rent, monthly$908
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.6 percent
- Single family units17,829
- Share single family69.8 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more7,444
- Share in buildings of two or more29.1 percent
- Mobile homes271 plus or minus 137
- Median year structure built1957
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
How Charleston gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute18,271
- Commuting under 15 minutes8,842
- Share commuting under 15 minutes48.4 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more2,116
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more11.6 percent
- Drove alone72.0 percent
- Carpooled7.0 percent plus or minus 1.6
- Public transport1.0 percent plus or minus 0.7
- Walked5.4 percent plus or minus 1.7
- Worked from home13.0 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
SBA loans in Charleston (7(a))
- Approvals70
- Gross approval$32,170,200
- Average approval$459,574
- Median approval$100,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$1,253,500
- Largest approval$4,352,300
- Jobs supported640
- Jobs per approval9.1
- Loans with a final outcome18
- Paid in full17
- Charged off1
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more14.3 percent
- Share to franchises7.1 percent
- Distinct lenders17
- Distinct industries by NAICS40
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 18 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston
SBA loans in Charleston (504)
- Approvals2
- Gross approval$2,957,000
- Average approval$1,478,500
- Median approval$1,478,500
- Largest approval$2,754,000
- Jobs supported41
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Charged off0
- Median term270 months
- Distinct CDCs2
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston
Flood risk in Charleston
- NFIP communityCity of Charleston
- NFIP community number540073
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classClass 9
- Currently effective map date08/01/23
The City of Charleston participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 540073 and carries Community Rating System class 9, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Kanawha County, not Charleston
Kanawha County context, not Charleston figures
- Establishments in Kanawha County4,396
- Covered employment, Kanawha County97,845
- Average annual pay, Kanawha County$61,997
- Housing units permitted, Kanawha County98
Every figure in this section is published for Kanawha County as a whole and is not a measurement of Charleston.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Charleston questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Charleston, West Virginia?
47,421, in 21,116 households. Charleston city covers 31.40 square miles of land, which is 1,510 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Charleston in?
Kanawha County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Charleston?
$65,812. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $203,300. Median gross rent is $908 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Charleston businesses?
70 7(a) approvals totaling $32.2 m since FY2020, across 17 lenders, median approval $100,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $3.0 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Charleston borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Charleston. Only 18 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Charleston in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Charleston appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Charleston, city of, community 540073, carrying Community Rating System class 9, which is a premium discount for exceeding the program minimum. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Charleston figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Kanawha County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Charleston.
Is zoning published for Charleston?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.