Kanawha County, West Virginia
Population 176,537 · Charleston, South Charleston, St. Albans
- Overall cost of living: −11.3% vs the US average, higher than 51% of US counties.
- Violent crime: 6.2 per 1k, higher than 95% of US counties.
- Disaster damage per $100k: $301/yr, higher than 93% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11.3% | higher than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Charleston, WV metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $147,300 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Median rent | $906 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $183/mo | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $8,155/yr | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.65% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.12% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $964 | lower than 79% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $60,943 | lower than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -2.8% | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 415.8 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈172 days | lower than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 86°F | lower than 57% of US counties |
| January low | 24°F | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 32 in | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 24 days | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 94 days | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 1.9% of weeks | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈63.1°F | lower than 51% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 46.8 in | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $301/yr | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $293/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.65/yr | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $1.9/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.84/yr | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.14/yr | lower than 65% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.8 µg/m³ | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 216.9 mi | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,412.9 ft | higher than 80% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 91.4% | higher than 60% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 29.7% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 12.1% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.5:1 | higher than 61% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 88% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 6.93 | lower than 77% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.35 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.74 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.9 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 132/100k | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.3★ | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 71.4 yrs | lower than 88% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.7% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 365/100k | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 93/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 77.8/100k | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 70.7% | higher than 61% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 20 min | lower than 98% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 167 min | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 22 min | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 88.2% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1.2% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 9.6% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 174 min | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 58 per sq mi | higher than 84% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 6.2 per 1k | higher than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 25.7 per 1k | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Population | 176,537 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Median age | 43.8 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -2.9 per 1k/yr | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 40.2% Dem | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 57.6% Rep | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.2% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % White | 85.9% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 1.6% | lower than 90% of US counties |
| % Black | 4.8% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.1% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 6.1% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 118 parks | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 19.4 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.2 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 29 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 11 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 426 km | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 21 km | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 21 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 29 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 6 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 14 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 30 km | higher than 65% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data