County · West Virginia

Kanawha County, West Virginia

Kanawha County, West Virginia. Kanawha County had 172,381 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 4.6% since 2020, a steeper fall than West Virginia's (−1.5%). It holds 35 places (16 cities, villages and boroughs and 19 census-designated) and 57 census tracts. GEOID 54039.

Kanawha County is one of the 3 counties of the Charleston, WV metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

172,381

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 180,745 · ACS 2020-2024: 176,537

Median household income

$60,943

±$1,546 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $59,608

Median home value

$147,300

±$4,303 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $162,600

Median gross rent

$906

±$25 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $872

How many people live in Kanawha County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 180,745 residents in Kanawha County. The Census Bureau estimates 172,381 for July 1, 2025, down 4.6% since 2020, a steeper fall than West Virginia's (−1.5%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 176,537 over 902 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −2,091 (178,124)
2021→2022 −2,260 (175,864)
2022→2023 −1,430 (174,434)
2023→2024 −1,011 (173,423)
2024→2025 −1,042 (172,381)

Kanawha County in West Virginia. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Kanawha County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	176,537	1,778,373	−6,742
Households	76,459±898	728,655	−2,611
Average household size	2.27±0.03	2.37	no clear change
Housing units	90,408±201	861,325	−2,001

Kanawha County's population since 2000

From 200,073 in 2000 to 172,381 in 2025: down 13.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 200,073
2005 (estimate) 193,878
2010 Census 193,063
2015 (estimate) 188,399
2020 Census 180,745
2025 (estimate) 172,381

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Kanawha County?

Kanawha County holds 35 places: 16 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 19 census-designated places. The largest is Charleston with 46,117 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Kanawha County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Charleston	city	48,864	47,421±38	$65,812	$203,300	15.8%	100%
South Charleston	city	13,647	13,457±28	$63,884	$155,400	16.9%	100%
St. Albans	city	10,861	10,522±23	$53,972	$140,800	14.1%	100%
Cross Lanes	CDP	9,727	9,671±1,173	$63,537	$153,800	5.1%	100%
Dunbar	city	7,480	7,254±26	$58,379	$119,600	14.9%	100%
Nitro	city	6,624	6,853±723	$53,848	$128,900	20.2%	83%
Sissonville	CDP	4,084	3,593±623	$66,944	$180,800	23.4%	100%
Pinch	CDP	2,914	4,037±1,032	$76,741	$221,500	5.1%	100%
Rand	CDP	1,543	1,064±390	$61,047	$89,900	8.6%	100%
Marmet	city	1,504	1,524±241	$52,115	$95,100	13.6%	100%
Chesapeake	town	1,335	1,702±278	$60,927	$84,500	21.5%	100%
Belle	town	1,169	1,611±481	$77,031	$107,100	3.3%	100%
ElkviewGEOID 5424748	CDP	1,116	671±264	$69,858	$125,000	5.5%	100%
Tornado	CDP	1,081	1,114±305	$83,000	$174,800	8.8%	100%
Coal ForkGEOID 5416612	CDP	1,039	1,423±530	$70,212	$101,000	2.3%	100%
Clendenin	town	854	903±463	$69,583	$116,300	7.9%	100%
East Bank	town	822	850±274	$72,875	$98,000	13.9%	100%
Cedar GroveGEOID 5413924	town	718	489±144	$44,952	$90,700	18.4%	100%
Glasgow	town	703	878±227	$53,750	$99,100	22.0%	100%
ChelyanGEOID 5414812	CDP	681	564±491	$34,175	$103,500	62.6%	100%
Big ChimneyGEOID 5407204	CDP	629	610±337	$43,403	not published	32.1%	100%
West DunbarGEOID 5485636	CDP	617	425±209	$27,500	$84,700	46.6%	100%
Montgomery	city	1,275	1,516±354	$27,679	$133,000	28.3%	48%
Dupont CityGEOID 5422828	CDP	602	501±238	not published	$190,900	19.6%	100%
InstituteGEOID 5440156	CDP	569	521±210	$42,315	not published	20.6%	100%
JeffersonGEOID 5441010	CDP	527	534±242	$39,861	$73,800	54.7%	100%
ShrewsburyGEOID 5473876	CDP	517	310±142	$48,818	$85,300	0.0%	100%
Pratt	town	483	438±133	$63,558	$107,100	20.2%	100%
MaldenGEOID 5450836	CDP	444	320±135	$50,774	$159,600	0.0%	100%
Alum CreekGEOID 5401396	CDP	1,595	1,749±425	$74,231	$159,300	11.0%	22%
HansfordGEOID 5434852	CDP	227	77±47	$18,938	$108,000	29.9%	100%
HandleyGEOID 5434756	town	223	418±296	$105,150	$51,500	3.8%	100%
EskdaleGEOID 5425732	CDP	130	326±283	not published	not published	30.1%	100%
HollygroveGEOID 5438092	CDP	113	74±62	$42,857	not published	0.0%	100%
SmithersGEOID 5474740	city	754	712±332	$45,417	$76,500	25.7%	1%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Kanawha County?

The median resident of Kanawha County is 43.8 years old; 19.8% are under 18 and 22.1% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 85.9%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 6.1%. 2.0% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Kanawha County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	43.8±0.3	42.7	+0.4
Under 18 years	19.8%	20.0%	–
65 years and over	22.1%±0.1 pts	21.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1.6%	2.1%	+0.5 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	85.9%±0.5 pts	89.7%	−1.8 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	4.8%±0.4 pts	3.1%	−2.3 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1.1%±0.1 pts	0.8%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	6.1%±0.6 pts	3.9%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.1 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	2.0%±0.3 pts	1.8%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.3%±0.4 pts	2.5%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.8%±0.5 pts	7.4%	–
With a disability	19.6%±0.8 pts	19.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.9%±0.5 pts	6.0%	−0.9 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	91.4%±0.7 pts	89.3%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	29.7%±0.9 pts	24.1%	+4.2 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	12.1%±0.7 pts	9.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.6%±0.3 pts	2.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Kanawha County earn?

Half of Kanawha County's 76,459 households earn less than $60,943 a year (±$1,546), against $59,608 in West Virginia. In 2015-2019 the median was $57,398 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $3,545 after inflation. 15.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Kanawha County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$60,943±$1,546	$59,608	+$3,545
Mean household income	$84,041±$2,142	$81,190	–
Per capita income	$37,354±$977	$34,203	no clear change
People below the poverty line	15.7%±1.0 pts	16.7%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	20.6%±2.6 pts	21.5%	−4.1 pts
Households receiving SNAP	15.8%±1.0 pts	17.3%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	88.2%±0.8 pts	86.1%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Kanawha County?

Owners occupy 71.1% of Kanawha County's occupied homes and renters 28.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $147,300 by its owner (±$4,303). The median renter pays $906 a month including utilities, and 37.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Kanawha County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$147,300±$4,303	$162,600	+$8,847
Median gross rent	$906±$25	$872	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	37.1%±3.1 pts	39.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,216±$26	$1,255	–
Owner-occupied homes	71.1%±1.3 pts	74.9%	+2.0 pts
Housing units	90,408±201	861,325	−2,001
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.7%±0.5 pts	1.2%	–
Rental vacancy rate	9.1%±1.8 pts	6.7%	–
Single-family detached homes	70.1%±1.3 pts	70.9%	–
Mobile homes	9.5%±0.9 pts	13.6%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.7%±0.2 pts	1.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	13.9%±0.9 pts	14.9%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Kanawha County building?

Builders took permits for 97 new housing units across Kanawha County in 2025 (93 single-family), 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

2019 253 units
2020 272 units
2021 221 units
2022 130 units
2023 151 units
2024 98 units
2025 97 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Kanawha County get to work?

77.3% of Kanawha County's workers drive alone and 9.6% work from home. The average trip to work takes 21.8 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.6%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Kanawha County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	55.8%±1.0 pts	53.8%	–
Unemployment rate	5.6%±0.8 pts	5.4%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	77.3%±1.5 pts	78.1%	–
Carpooled	7.7%±0.8 pts	8.5%	–
Public transportation	1.2%±0.4 pts	0.5%	–
Walked	2.9%±0.7 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	9.6%±1.0 pts	9.1%	+6.0 pts
Mean travel time to work	21.8 min±0.7	26.6 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Kanawha County's census tracts?

Kanawha County is divided into 57 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $17,679 (Tract 9) to $129,717 (Tract 19.01).

All 57 census tracts of Kanawha County, with their figures

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Kanawha County compare with West Virginia's other counties?

Kanawha County's rank among West Virginia's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	1st of 55
Growth 2020-2025	37th of 55
Residents per square mile	9th of 55
Median household income	14th of 55
Median home value	29th of 55
Median gross rent	9th of 55
Poverty rate	35th of 55
Bachelor's degree or higher	5th of 55
Median age	37th of 55

Every county in West Virginia

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Kanawha County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.