Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Kanawha County, WV

Welcome to Kanawha County.

← Back to search

Kanawha County is the most populous in the state of West Virginia, representing 10% of the state's population, and the fourth largest in geographic area of coverage.

Total GDP for the county increased 16%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $12.7 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Kanawha County voted five out of six times for Republicans and only once for a Democratic candidate.

Kanawha County comprises Charleston, WV metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Charleston.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Boone County, Clay County, Fayette County, Jackson County, Lincoln County, Nicholas County, Putnam County, Raleigh County, and Roane County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
50.25%48.01%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
48.92%50.53%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
49.21%49.65%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
43.26%55.1%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
37.34%57.93%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
41.76%56.42%+
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

← Back to search

Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%16%
Government
Enterprises
17%19%
Private Industries83%16%
Agriculture<1%-47%
Mining3%-2%
Utilities1%29%
Construction4%0%
Manufacturing5%-5%
– Durable2%-1%
– Nondurable3%-7%
Trade13%30%
– Wholesale5%10%
– Retail8%44%
Transportation3%-11%
Information3%6%
Finance & Insurance9%17%
Real Estate10%23%
Professional &
Business Services
13%29%
Educational Services1%41%
Healthcare &
Social Services
14%12%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%13%
Accommodation &
Food Services
3%12%
Other Services22%30%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

← Back to search

Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers2870
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
2865
📺 Electronics & Appliance1152
🛒 Grocery Stores4173
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores310
⚕️ Health & Personal Care8183
⛽ Gasoline Stations7781
👕 Clothing Stores4269
👠 Shoe Stores1147
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry1147
🏸 Sporting Goods735
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers315
🏬 Department Stores6586
💐 Florists853
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops945
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 419
🍺 Bars & Taverns2671
🍽️ Full-service restaurants14082
🍔 Limited-service restaurants18082
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers3261
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation3573
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

← Back to search

Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%118%$394,200 N/A
Top 20%46%$256,600 More than $250,000
Next highest 20%24%$137,300 $167,300
Middle 20%17%$93,600 $113,100
Second lowest 20%10%$56,300 $75,900
Bottom 20%3%$19,400 $37,600
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries76%$109,100
Self-Employment10%$51,300
Investment Income119%$20,800
Social Security34%$23,300
Supplemental Security5%$13,400
Public Assistance2%Below $10,000
Retirement27%$35,200
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
2%6%7%8%
$25K
– $49K
1%5%7%9%
$50K
– $99K
1%9%10%10%
$100K
– $199K
<1%6%8%4%
$200K
& more
<1%2%3%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

← Back to search

Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$59,200 $39,500
African-American$48,300 $38,100
Hispanic$45,300 $25,700
Asian$45,700 $31,800
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$41,500 $13,900
Highschool & GED$50,400 $29,900
Some College to
Associate’s
$66,700 $37,500
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$89,600 $59,800
Graduate Degree$115,500 $67,200
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$92,300 $62,700
STEM2$109,300 $101,000
Gray-Collar3$72,700 $86,500
Pink-Collar4$25,300 $14,700
Sales5$50,100 $30,900
Blue-Collar6$39,800 $26,200
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

← Back to search

Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves+$
Drought
Earthquake+$
Hail++$
Heat Waves+$
Hurricane+$
Ice Storm+$
Landslide++$
Lightning+++$
Riverine Flooding+++$
Strong Wind++$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+$
Winter Weather++$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

← Back to search