akashic
1876–2024
Charleston, WV·West Virginia

Charleston, WV delivered R+23 in 2024.

Kanawha Valley hub where union heritage meets a sharp rightward shift

1876 — 2024·38 elections
WV
LatestR+23in 2024
TypologyStable Rural Rightcluster typology
Population205,3982024 ACS

Charleston, WV, West Virginia: Stable Rural Right metro. In 2024, voted R+23%. Democratic peak: D+32 in 1964.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+23MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Stable Rural RightAkashic typology
Population
205,3982024 5-year
Median household income
$59,8382024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
87.9%2024 5-year
Black
4.3%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
1.5%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+32 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+25 in 2016MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Charleston, WV
TrumpR+23
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Charleston, WV, WVA map of the constituent counties of Charleston, WV, WV, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Boone County, WV · R+57Kanawha County, WV · R+17Clay County, WV · R+62
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican60.3%52,263
Kamala HarrisDemocratic37.5%32,452
OtherAll other candidates2.2%1,906
D+60
R+60
3 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: −22.9% in 2024.flipped R · 2012−22.9%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892−2.3%
1896−14.0%
1900+16.3%
1904−15.5%
1908−13.6%
1912+27.4%
1916+0.4%
1920−9.7%
1924−4.3%
1928−13.4%
1932+6.9%
1936+19.8%
1940+19.1%
1944+14.4%
1948+15.1%
1952+1.6%
1956−5.2%
1960+1.4%
1964+32.2%
1968+7.7%
1972−23.6%
1976+16.4%
1980+4.0%
1984−10.2%
1988+8.1%
1992+12.8%
1996+18.1%
2000+4.2%
2004−0.1%
2008+0.2%
2012−14.5%
2016−24.9%
2020−19.9%
2024−22.9%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−22.9%
32,45252,26386,621
R
−19.9%
37,02655,89394,628
R
−24.9%
30,62152,65488,662
R
−14.5%
36,20148,80286,832
D
+0.2%
46,54446,33994,111
R
−0.1%
50,77850,835102,198
D
+4.2%
45,79742,04989,393
D
+18.1%
48,47932,36588,994
D
+12.8%
46,81934,63494,989
D
+8.1%
49,94642,46292,698
R
−10.2%
47,07057,822105,159
D
+4.0%
52,52948,220107,522
D
+16.4%
64,79246,567111,359
R
−23.6%
45,20473,174118,378
D
+7.7%
54,95746,156113,912
D
+32.2%
82,30242,216124,518
D
+1.4%
65,40163,640129,041
R
−5.2%
60,04366,613126,656
D
+1.6%
65,56363,495129,058
D
+15.1%
62,96046,419109,744
D
+14.4%
56,16142,05198,212
D
+19.1%
69,32147,122116,443
D
+19.8%
61,88541,377103,380
D
+6.9%
47,62841,45389,913
R
−13.4%
32,29742,33974,864
R
−4.3%
28,08930,87164,155
R
−9.7%
23,34628,43652,598
D
+0.4%
12,72012,62126,070
O
+27.4%
8,7092,54822,450
R
−13.6%
8,97311,97722,079
R
−15.5%
7,72610,66618,963
D
+16.3%
8,9186,41015,402
R
−14.0%
6,2438,28714,613
R
−2.3%
5,8346,11312,265
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
16.7%
Irish
11.4%
German
10.6%
American
8.9%
Italian
2.6%
Scottish
2.2%
Polish
1.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 44.0 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.9%
85+
1.7%
2.8%
75–84
3.4%
6.2%
65–74
7.1%
6.7%
55–64
7.2%
6.2%
45–54
6.4%
5.9%
35–44
6.0%
6.0%
25–34
6.0%
3.9%
18–24
3.7%
7.8%
5–17
7.3%
2.5%
<5
2.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$59,838
Charleston, WV ranks near the middle of US counties.
Charleston, WV$59,838
West Virginia$59,608
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
16.2%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1821.3%
Working age (18–64)15.4%
Seniors (65+)11.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.9%
speak English only
Other Indo-European0.9%
Spanish0.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.3%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
12.6%
Baptist
9.1%
Methodist
5.2%
Catholic & Orthodox
4.4%
Pentecostal & Holiness
4.3%
Mainline Protestant
2.4%
Non-Christian
0.5%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 61.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Once a reliable Democratic stronghold anchored by coal and chemical industry labor, the Charleston metro has swung decisively toward Republican candidates at nearly every level since 2000, mirroring West Virginia's broader partisan realignment.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of thirty-two points in 1964 and a Republican high of twenty-five points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty-three points.

A population of 205,398, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $59,838 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Charleston, WV, West Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/16620/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Charleston, WV, West Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, Charleston, WV, West Virginia voted Republican by 22.9 points (R+23), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 86,621 votes cast, 32,452 went Democratic and 52,263 went Republican.
What is Charleston, WV, West Virginia's political typology?
Akashic places Charleston, WV, West Virginia in the "Stable Rural Right" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 15 times, and other 1 times.
When did Charleston, WV, West Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Charleston, WV, West Virginia voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Charleston, WV, West Virginia?
Charleston, WV, West Virginia has a population of 205,398 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Charleston, WV, West Virginia?
Median household income in Charleston, WV, West Virginia is $59,838 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of Charleston, WV, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Charleston, WV, West Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Stable Rural Right" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.