Kanawha County · West Virginia · South · 47k residents
Charleston, WV: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Charleston: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the West Virginia median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,240/wk. West Virginia's corporate income tax rate is 6.5%. Commercial electricity averages 11.6¢/kWh.
Compare Charleston side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,240/wk
Corporate income tax
6.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
45.2%
Commercial electricity
11.6¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Charleston's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
3/100
Cooling
Ranks Charleston's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $203,300 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $110 |
| Property tax rate | 0.57% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $707/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,010/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.07% |
| Sales tax | 6.55% |
| Corporate income tax | 6.5% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,240/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 45.2% |
| Commercial electricity | 11.6¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 39.3/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $122,980 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $80,230 |
| Wage: General manager | $83,190 |
| Wage: Customer service | $37,480 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $32,830 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $49,580 |
| Wage: Electrician | $64,830 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $29,050 |
| Cost of living index | 79 |
| Groceries index | 96 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $40/mo |
| Gas price | $3.20/gal |
| Healthcare index | 92 |
| Childcare (per child) | $750/mo |
| Median household income | $65,812 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% |
| Population | 47k |
| Crime index | 38/100 |
| School rating | 4.6/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 95/100 |
| Avg. commute | 26 min |
| Sunny days / year | 160 days |
| July high | 86°F |
| January low | 26°F |
| Annual snowfall | 32 in |
| Home price YoY | +1.5% |
| Home price MoM | 0.0% |
| Rent YoY | +4.5% |
| Rent MoM | -0.2% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -2.6% |
| Building permits YoY | -71.0% |
| Ocean coast | 326 mi |
| Big lake | 141 mi |
| Mountains | 116 mi |
| Major airport | 132 mi |
| Ski resort | 89 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Beckley, WV · 17k
- Huntington, WV · 46k
- Parkersburg, WV · 29k
- Clarksburg, WV · 16k
- Fairmont, WV · 18k
Similar size
- Morgantown, WV · 30k
- Wheeling, WV · 26k
- Martinsburg, WV · 19k
- Weirton, WV · 19k
Real listings in Charleston
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Charleston a good place to run a business?
- West Virginia's corporate income tax rate is 6.5%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,240/wk; commercial electricity averages 11.6¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Charleston, WV?
- Charleston indexes at 79 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,010/mo and a acs median home value of $203,300.
- How much does a house cost in Charleston?
- The acs median home value in Charleston is $203,300 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Charleston?
- A two-bedroom in Charleston rents for about $1,010/mo.