† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupCharlestonWest VirginiaUnited States
English15.3%15.7%9.5%
Irish10.4%12.3%9.4%
German9.7%14.7%12.5%
American7.5%9.5%5.3%
Italian2.6%4.1%4.8%
Scottish2.2%2.1%1.3%
Scotch-Irish1.8%1.3%—
Polish1.0%1.4%2.2%
African American†8.2%2.6%9.9%
African0.6%—0.5%
Asian Indian1.4%—1.4%
Filipino0.5%—0.9%
Mexican1.1%0.7%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.4%0.3%1.8%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Charleston
West Virginia
United States
Median age
43
42.9
39.1
Age 18–24
7.8%
8.8%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
21.1%
21.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Charleston
West Virginia
United States
Median household income
$65,812
$59,608
$84,427
Poverty rate
15.8%
16.7%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
45.2%
24.4%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Charleston
West Virginia
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
4.3%
2.5%
22.3%
Other Indo-European
1.5%
0.3%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
Charleston
West Virginia
United States
Catholic
—
5.6%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
16.4%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
62.3%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Charleston, West Virginia
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+15.5%
2008
+16.4%
2012
+8.2%
2016
+11.2%
2020
+19.1%
2024
+17.9%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
57.7%Harris11,832
39.7%Trump8,151
2.6%
D+17.9
R+1.1
D+19.4
20,511
D
58.6%Biden13,383
39.5%Trump9,028
1.9%
D+19.1
D+7.9
D+14.6
22,842
D
53.0%Clinton11,171
41.7%Trump8,807
5.3%
D+11.2
D+3.0
D+9.1
21,096
D
53.1%Obama11,552
44.9%Romney9,760
2.0%
D+8.2
R+8.2
D+4.4
21,736
D
57.6%Obama13,727
41.2%McCain9,810
1.3%
D+16.4
D+1.0
D+9.2
23,838
D
57.2%Kerry14,579
41.8%Bush10,641
1.0%
D+15.5
—
D+17.9
25,479
Charleston anchors Kanawha County and consistently votes more Democratic than the surrounding region, reflecting its concentration of government workers, healthcare employment, and a more educated urban core in an otherwise heavily Republican state.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 19.1 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 17.9 points.
A population of 47,421, a 76% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $65,812 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Roanoke and Springfield.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Charleston, West Virginia voted Democratic by 17.9 points (D+17.9), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 20,511 votes cast, 11,832 went Democratic and 8,151 went Republican.
How many people live in Charleston, West Virginia?
Charleston, West Virginia has a population of 47,421 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Charleston, West Virginia?
Median household income in Charleston, West Virginia is $65,812 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of Charleston, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Charleston, West Virginia from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
