Kanawha County · West Virginia
Charleston, WV demographics
Population, income and the local tax burden that sits on top of them — sourced from the Census Bureau and the West Virginia Tax Division.
Quick answer
Charleston, WV has a population of 48,018 and a median household income of $55,308 — about $4,609 a month before tax. That ranks 78 of 94 covered metros by income and 92 of 94 by population.
Population
48,018
City limits, ACS 5-year
Median household income
$55,308
ACS 5-year estimate
Combined sales tax
7%
West Virginia + local
Income rank
#78
of 94 covered metros
Estimated annual sales tax on a median household
A Charleston household at the median income of $55,308 spending roughly a quarter of pre-tax income on taxable retail goods would pay about $968 a year in sales tax at 7%. This is an illustration, not a filing figure: the taxable share of spending varies with household composition, and West Virginia exempts or discounts several categories. West Virginia municipalities that dropped their business and occupation tax can levy 1%; groceries are exempt from the state rate but not the municipal one.
Method: median household income × 25% taxable share × combined rate. The 25% share is a rough national benchmark from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, not a Charleston-specific measurement.
Sources
What each figure on this page comes from.
- Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
- Source: West Virginia Tax Division rate tables · rates as published for 2026