Charleston, WV Metro Area
The Charleston, WV metro area is made up of 3 counties in West Virginia: Kanawha, Boone, and Clay, largest first. About 200,170 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 5.0% fewer than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 200,170 5.0% fewer than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 3: 1 central, 2 outlying
- Land area
- 1,746 sq mi (4,522 km²)
- Time zone
- Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
- State
- West Virginia
- Combined statistical area
- Charleston-Huntington-Ashland, WV-OH-KY
- CBSA code
- 16620
Counties in the Charleston, WV metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanawha County | Central | 172,381 | 86.1% |
| Boone County | Outlying | 20,251 | 10.1% |
| Clay County | Outlying | 7,538 | 3.8% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central county, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Charleston47,421 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Charleston-Huntington-Ashland, WV-OH-KY combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 2 areas in this one, largest first:
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metro Area365,965 people
- Portsmouth, OH Micro Area71,365 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metro Area44 mi west
- Beckley, WV Metro Area47 mi southeast
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.