USA.com / West Virginia / Charleston Metro Area / Population and Races

Charleston Metro Area Population and Races

Basic InfoPopulation/RacesIncome/CareersHousingEducationOthers

As of 2010, the total population of Charleston Area is 304,284. The Charleston Area population density is 119.47 people per square mile, which is higher than the state average density of 76.48 people per square mile and is higher than the national average density of 81.32 people per square mile. The most prevalent race in Charleston Area is white, which represent 92.27% of the total population. The average Charleston Area education level is higher than the state average and is about the same as the national average.

Topics:Population Density Population by Races Population by First Ancestry Population by Gender Population by Age Education School Enrollment Household and Family Marital Status Place of Birth and Citizenship Language

Population in 2010: 304,284. #154

Population Density, #348

Charleston Area	119.47 per square mile
West Virginia	76.48 per square mile
U.S.	81.32 per square mile

Population by Races

White:	280,766 (92.27%, #238)
Black:	14,751 (4.85%, #419)
Hispanic:	2,522 (0.83%, #932)
Asian:	2,462 (0.81%, #501)
Native (American Indian, Alaska Native, Hawaiian Native, etc.):	674 (0.22%, #841)
One Race, Other:	737 (0.24%, see rank)
Two or More Races:	4,894 (1.61%, see rank)

*Based on 2010 data. View historical race data.

Population by First Ancestry

24,082 (84.56%) out of the total population of 28,480 reported first ancestry.

	Charleston Area	% of the Total Population	West Virginia	U.S.
Arab	393	1.38%, see rank	0.32%	0.50%
Czech	70	0.25%, see rank	0.21%	0.53%
Danish	54	0.19%, see rank	0.08%	0.48%
Dutch	430	1.51%, see rank	2.50%	1.63%
English	4,358	15.30%, see rank	12.27%	9.02%
French	661	2.32%, see rank	1.90%	3.77%
German	9,024	31.69%, see rank	19.84%	16.51%
Greek	601	2.11%, see rank	0.30%	0.44%
Hungarian	226	0.79%, see rank	0.53%	0.51%
Irish	5,531	19.42%, see rank	15.14%	11.76%
Italian	2,123	7.45%, see rank	4.66%	5.78%
Norwegian	38	0.13%, see rank	0.22%	1.51%
Polish	2,206	7.75%, see rank	1.90%	3.24%
Portuguese	0	0.00%, see rank	0.06%	0.47%
Russian	188	0.66%, see rank	0.37%	1.01%
Scotch-Irish	727	2.55%, see rank	2.85%	1.72%
Scottish	535	1.88%, see rank	2.14%	1.92%
Subsaharan African	15	0.05%, see rank	0.22%	0.91%
Swedish	182	0.64%, see rank	0.41%	1.41%
Swiss	157	0.55%, see rank	0.21%	0.33%
Ukrainian	166	0.58%, see rank	0.11%	0.31%
American	1,689	5.93%, see rank	13.40%	6.28%
Welsh	277	0.97%, see rank	0.78%	0.63%

*Based on 2006-2010 data. View historical first ancestry data.

Population by Gender

Male: 147,680 (48.53%, see rank)

Females: 156,604 (51.47%, see rank)

Charleston Area	Male: 48.53% Female: 51.47%
West Virginia	Male: 49.30% Female: 50.70%
U.S.	Male: 49.16% Female: 50.84%

*Based on 2010 data. View historical gender data.

Population by Age

Median Age (see rank)

Charleston Area	41.80 years old
West Virginia	41.30 years old
U.S.	37.20 years old

Median Age, Male (see rank)

Charleston Area	40.50 years old
West Virginia	40.10 years old
U.S.	35.80 years old

Median Age, Female (see rank)

Charleston Area	43.20 years old
West Virginia	42.60 years old
U.S.	38.50 years old

	Charleston Area	% of the Total Population	West Virginia	U.S.
Under 5 years	17,510	5.75%, see rank	5.62%	6.54%
5 to 9 years	18,332	6.02%, see rank	5.72%	6.59%
10 to 14 years	18,563	6.10%, see rank	5.88%	6.70%
15 to 19 years	18,185	5.98%, see rank	6.48%	7.14%
20 to 24 years	15,784	5.19%, see rank	6.33%	6.99%
25 to 34 years	36,859	12.11%, see rank	11.91%	13.30%
35 to 44 years	39,194	12.88%, see rank	12.82%	13.30%
45 to 54 years	46,913	15.42%, see rank	14.90%	14.58%
55 to 64 years	44,406	14.59%, see rank	14.29%	11.82%
65 to 74 years	26,344	8.66%, see rank	8.82%	7.03%
75 to 84	16,330	5.37%, see rank	5.29%	4.23%
85 years and over	5,864	1.93%, see rank	1.94%	1.78%

*Based on 2010 data. View historical age data.

Education for the 25 Years and Over

	Charleston Area	%	West Virginia	U.S.
Total 25 Years and Over Population	20,471	100%	1,282,621	199,726,659
Less Than High School	2,429	11.87%, see rank	18.09%	14.97%
High School Graduate	7,471	36.50%, see rank	41.29%	28.99%
Some College or Associate Degree	5,449	26.62%, see rank	23.37%	28.14%
Bachelor Degree	2,927	14.30%, see rank	10.57%	17.60%
Master, Doctorate, or Professional Degree	2,195	10.72%, see rank	6.69%	10.30%
USA.com Education Index^#	13.38, see rank	-	12.63	13.39

^# Higher USA.com Education Index means more educated population.

*Based on 2006-2010 data. View historical education level data.

School Enrollment

	Charleston Area			West Virginia		U.S.
	Total	Public	Private	Public	Private	Public	Private
Nursery School, Preschool, Kindergarten	624	62.82%	37.18%	82.19%	17.81%	69.28%	30.72%
Elementary School (Grades 1-8)	2,397	77.18%, see rank	22.82%, see rank	93.28%	6.72%	89.31%	10.69%
High School (Grades 9-12)	1,483	72.76%, see rank	27.24%, see rank	92.81%	7.19%	90.48%	9.52%
College	1,371	74.84%, see rank	25.16%, see rank	83.72%	16.28%	77.07%	22.93%
Graduate School	272	74.26%, see rank	25.74%, see rank	80.27%	19.73%	58.85%	41.15%

*Based on 2006-2010 data. View historical school enrollment data.

Household and Family

	Charleston Area	%	West Virginia	U.S.
Total Households	128,621	100%	763,831	116,716,292
Average Household Size	2.34, see rank	-	2.36	2.58
1 Person Households	38,025	29.56%, see rank	28.45%	26.74%
2 or More Person Households	90,596	70.44%, see rank	71.55%	73.26%
Family Households (Families)	84,196	65.46%, see rank	65.76%	66.43%
Average Family Size	2.88, see rank	-	2.88	3.14
Married-Couple Family	62,580	48.65%, see rank	49.80%	48.42%
Nonfamily Households	44,425	34.54%, see rank	34.24%	33.57%

*Based on 2010 data. View historical household and family data.

Marital Status of 15 Years and Over

	Charleston Area	%	West Virginia	U.S.
15 Years and Over Total	24,045	see rank	1,521,664	243,073,468
Males, 15 Years and Over	11,261	100%, see rank	741,230	118,264,295
Never Married	4,017	35.67%, see rank	29.35%	34.21%
Married	5,255	46.67%, see rank	55.66%	54.02%
Widowed	510	4.53%, see rank	3.40%	2.52%
Divorced	1,479	13.13%, see rank	11.59%	9.25%
Females, 15 Years and Over	12,784	100%, see rank	780,434	124,809,173
Never Married	3,346	26.17%, see rank	22.09%	27.93%
Married	5,649	44.19%, see rank	52.83%	50.85%
Widowed	2,149	16.81%, see rank	12.66%	9.55%
Divorced	1,640	12.83%, see rank	12.42%	11.66%

*Based on 2006-2010 data. View historical marital status data.

Place of Birth and Citizenship

	Charleston Area	%	West Virginia	U.S.
Native	28,019	98.38%, see rank	98.70%	87.28%
Born in the State of Residence	20,624	72.42%, see rank	71.36%	58.66%
Born in Different State	7,267	25.52%, see rank	26.95%	27.28%
Born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island Areas, or Born Abroad to American Parent(s)	128	0.45%, see rank	0.39%	1.33%
Foreign Born	461	1.62%, see rank	1.30%	12.72%
Foreign Born with U.S. Citizenship	254	0.89%, see rank	0.63%	5.48%
Foreign Born without U.S. Citizenship	207	0.73%, see rank	0.67%	7.24%
Born In Europe	154	0.54%, see rank	0.29%	1.59%
Born In Asia	186	0.65%, see rank	0.56%	3.54%
Born In Africa	0	0.00%, see rank	0.08%	0.48%
Born In Oceania	0	0.00%, see rank	0.01%	0.07%
Born In Latin America	93	0.33%, see rank	0.31%	6.77%
Born In Northern America	28	0.10%, see rank	0.05%	0.27%

*Based on 2006-2010 data. View historical place of birth and citizenship data.

Language Spoken at Home

	Charleston Area	%	West Virginia	U.S.
English	12,317	96.07%, see rank	96.75%	79.95%
Spanish	234	1.83%, see rank	1.49%	11.42%
Other Indo-European Languages	214	1.67%, see rank	1.07%	4.60%
Asian and Pacific Islander Languages	41	0.32%, see rank	0.46%	3.14%
Other	15	0.12%, see rank	0.23%	0.89%

*Based on 2006-2010 data. View historical language spoken at home data.