Charleston, WV
Latest: 2024
Safe Republican — 205K residents — 3 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 87.5% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(13) | 1.4% |
▶Black / African American(7) | 4.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 1.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(6) | 0.7% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2) | 0.1% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1) | 0.1% |
Multiracial / Other | 5.7% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Protestant | 17.2% | 43.6% |
| Mainline Protestant | 12.0% | 30.3% |
| Catholic | 4.1% | 10.4% |
| Black Protestant | 4.0% | 10.2% |
| Other | 1.8% | 4.6% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.8% | 2.0% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| Non-religious | 60.5% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+22.8 |
| 2020 | Trump+19.9 |
| 2016 | Trump+24.9 |
| 2012 | Romney+14.5 |
| 2008 | Obama+0.2 |
| 2004 | Bush+0.1 |
| 2000 | Gore+4.2 |
| 1996 | Clinton+18.1 |
| 1992 | Clinton+12.8 |
Charleston, WV is a metro area that has a population of 205,398. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+22.8. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 37.3% | 60.1% | R+22.8 | R+2.9 |
| 2020 | 39.1% | 59.1% | R+19.9 | D+4.9 |
| 2016 | 34.5% | 59.4% | R+24.9 | R+10.3 |
| 2012 | 41.7% | 56.2% | R+14.5 | R+14.7 |
| 2008 | 49.2% | 49.0% | D+0.2 | D+0.3 |
| 2004 | 49.7% | 49.7% | R+0.1 | R+4.2 |
| 2000 | 51.2% | 47.0% | D+4.2 | R+13.9 |
| 1996 | 54.5% | 36.4% | D+18.1 | D+5.3 |
| 1992 | 49.3% | 36.5% | D+12.8 | D+4.8 |
| 1988 | 53.9% | 45.8% | D+8.1 | D+18.3 |
| 1984 | 44.8% | 55.0% | R+10.2 | R+14.2 |
| 1980 | 48.9% | 44.8% | D+4.0 | R+12.4 |
| 1976 | 58.2% | 41.8% | D+16.4 | D+40.0 |
| 1972 | 38.2% | 61.8% | R+23.6 | R+31.4 |
| 1968 | 48.2% | 40.5% | D+7.7 | R+24.5 |
| 1964 | 66.1% | 33.9% | D+32.2 | D+30.8 |
| 1960 | 50.7% | 49.3% | D+1.4 | D+6.6 |
| 1956 | 47.4% | 52.6% | R+5.2 | R+6.8 |
| 1952 | 50.8% | 49.2% | D+1.6 | R+13.5 |
| 1948 | 57.4% | 42.3% | D+15.1 | — |
What defines Charleston, WV?
Charleston, WV has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (1D, 5R) — a genuine swing geography.
Constituent Counties
Similar metro areas
Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
Small-town rural republican 3
Clarksburg, WV
Small-town rural republican 3
Johnson City, TN
Small-town rural republican 3
Evansville, IN
Small-town rural republican 2
Sunbury, PA
Small-town rural republican 3
Beckley, WV
Small-town rural republican 3
Hot Springs, AR
Small-town rural republican 3
Glens Falls, NY
Small-town rural republican 2
Counties in Charleston, WV
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
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Ask the Historian
Explore Charleston, WV's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Latest election (2024) was a Republican landslide with a 22.8% margin
- The 2008 election was decided by just 0.2 points — razor-thin
- Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2008, Republicans in 2024
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Charleston, WV | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 87.5% | 57.4% |
Multiracial / Other | 5.7% | 4.0% |
▶Black / African American(7) | 4.3% | 12.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(13) | 1.4% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 1.0% | 6.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(6) | 0.7% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2) | 0.1% | 0.9% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
39.5%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -37.7pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.2% | 43.6% | — | — | |
| 12.0% | 30.3% | — | — | |
| 4.1% | 10.4% | — | — | |
| 4.0% | 10.2% | — | — | |
| 1.8% | 4.6% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.8% | 2.0% | — | — |
| 0.4% | 0.9% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 60.5% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Charleston, WV metro area? 205,398 residents across 3 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 6pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+3 on average nationally.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
205K
Share of U.S. population
0.06%
Voting-age population
78.5%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$59,960
Poverty rate
16.2%
College degree
27.1%
Homeownership
72.2%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
44.0 yrs
Age 18–29
13.6%
Age 65+
22.1%
Foreign born
1.8%
Non-English at home
2.0%
English only
98.0%
Turnout in Charleston, WV
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
53.9%
-4.8pp
161,182
1988–2024
How competitive is Charleston, WV?
Safe RAvg margin: R+22.5 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+0.2
2012
R+14.5
2016
R+24.9
2020
R+19.9
2024
R+22.8
25.1pp
3
R+16.4
Do voters in Charleston, WV split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (0/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Governor | R+22.8 | R+5.4 | 17.4pp |
| Senate vs Governor | R+22.6 | R+5.4 | 17.2pp |
| President vs Senate | R+22.8 | R+22.6 | 0.2pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 26.2pp
Located In
Charleston, WV sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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