City · Jefferson County, West Virginia

Charles Town, West Virginia

Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area. It has 7,337 residents. Charles Town, West Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 54 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,151 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within West Virginia it ranks #10 of 150 cities and towns. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), child care cost burden (low) and mental health care shortage (low). It ranks worst on hospital quality rating (low), drought exposure (high) and access to exercise opportunities (low).

54Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,151 of 15,651 cities and towns
West Virginia: #10 of 150 in WV
Population: 7,337 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 1,250.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 5414610

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety71#4,522/15,637
Economy65#5,498/15,631
Housing89#1,658/14,977
Health30#11,001/15,609
Healthcare33#10,506/15,650
Environment55#6,954/15,453
Education43#8,894/15,649
Infrastructure54#7,174/15,650
Community32#10,709/15,651
Leisure & amenities57#6,741/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Charles Town, West Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Jefferson County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

New homes permitted · high42.5 /1k
99/100West Virginia 2.2 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Child care cost burden · low20.0%
94/100West Virginia 35.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJefferson County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100West Virginia 14.6United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationJefferson County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.373
87/100West Virginia 0.471United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Violent crime rate · low103 /100k
85/100West Virginia 242 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationJefferson County value
Property crime rate · low576 /100k
85/100West Virginia 1,053 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationJefferson County value

Weaknesses

Hospital quality rating · low1.0
1/100West Virginia 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesJefferson County value
Drought exposure · high98%
3/100West Virginia 31%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAJefferson County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low35.1%
4/100West Virginia 58.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJefferson County value
Depression · high27.8%
7/100West Virginia 31.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Dentists · low30 /100k
11/100West Virginia 60 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJefferson County value
Suicide rate · high23.4 /100k
12/100West Virginia 18.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataJefferson County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
5,943 (2015-2019) → 7,337 (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
39.4% (2015-2019) → 29.1% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
16.1% (2015-2019) → 7.6% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.5% (2015-2019) → 93.0% (2020-2024)
+8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.2× (2015-2019) → 4.2× (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
2.8% (2015-2019) → 9.0% (2020-2024)
+6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Charles Town, West Virginia improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+8.5 points84.5% → 93.0%

Declined2

Uninsured+6.2 points2.8% → 9.0%
Price / income+1.0×3.2× → 4.2×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Charles Town, West Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	39.6 min2015-2019	36.2 min2020-2024	−3.4 min	Within the margin of error	82%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.2%2015-2019	36.1%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Broadband subscriptions	84.5%2015-2019	93.0%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Improved	52%
Effective property tax rate	0.79%2015-2019	0.62%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	52%
High school diploma or higher	89.8%2015-2019	89.0%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	20%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3992015-2019	0.3732020-2024	−0.026	Within the margin of error	72%
Median household income	$80,2782015-2019	$89,2632020-2024	+11%	Within the margin of error	18%
Poverty rate	12.6%2015-2019	6.5%2020-2024	−6.1 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Rent as share of income	23.9%2015-2019	26.5%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Rent-burdened households	39.4%2015-2019	29.1%2020-2024	−10 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Unemployment rate	8.1%2015-2019	5.9%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	2.8%2015-2019	9.0%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Declined	7%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Charles Town, West Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Charles Town, West Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Charles Town, West Virginia itself moved −0.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

7,337 residents (±28)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (−2.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

7,337 residents (±28)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

White66%4,846
Black14%†1,017
Hispanic or Latino14%†1,022
Asian1.8%†131
American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%†15
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races4.2%†306

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

5,269 residents (±256)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

No high school diploma11%†582
High school or GED27%1,427
Some college18%955
Associate degree7.6%†401
Bachelor's degree23%1,213
Graduate degree13%691

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,799 households (±260)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under $25k9.3%†261
$25k–50k10%†285
$50k–75k23%637
$75k–100k12%†323
$100k–150k17%489
$150k–200k18%†505
$200k or more11%†299

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+10.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,799 households (±260)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Own75%2,086
Rent25%713

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

698 households (±182)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under $75016%†115
$750–1,00015%†103
$1,000–1,50047%†

Home values

2,086 homes (±250)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under $150k7.8%†163
$150k–250k11%†220
$250k–400k38%784

Age of homes

3,033 homes (±269)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

2010 or later25%759
2000–200931%926
1980–199914%†411

Size of homes

3,033 homes (±269)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Studio2.2%†67
1 bedroom5.5%†166
2 bedrooms17%†505

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,794 workers (±268)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Drive alone66%2,501
Carpool10%†383
Public transit0.5%†18
Walk1.2%†47
Bike0.9%†35
Work from home21%785
Other0.7%†25

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+14.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,009 workers (±280)

Charles Town, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under 15 min30%888
15–29 min10%†305
30–44 min16%†478

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Jefferson County, the county holding most of Charles Town's residents.

Jefferson County has 976 employer establishments, 163 for every 10,000 residents (0.66× the US rate of 248; 0.81× West Virginia's), with 13,457 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,880. The Census Bureau also counts 4,599 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 976; 4,599 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 163; US 248 · West Virginia 202
Paid employees: 13,457
Average annual pay: $41,880; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Jefferson County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	93	15.6	0.85×About typical	1,482	$19,243	11
Specialty trade contractors	68	11.4	0.74×Fewer than typical	258	$50,961	322
Ambulatory health care services	62	10.4	0.50×Fewer than typical	463	$71,952	170
Lessors of real estate	52	8.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	137	$40,241	452
Full-service restaurants	44	7.4	0.96×About typical	646	$22,254	7
Services to buildings and dwellings	40	6.7	0.99×About typical	382	$33,408	274
Religious organizations	37	6.2	1.12×About typical	207	$24,130	—
Limited-service restaurants	32	5.4	0.67×Fewer than typical	680	$17,393	—
Building equipment contractors	28	4.7	0.78×Fewer than typical	128	$60,125	70
Construction of buildings	28	4.7	0.62×Fewer than typical	120	$51,708	157
Real estate agents and brokers	25	4.2	0.86×About typical	43	$54,698	180
Automotive repair and maintenance	24	4	0.80×Fewer than typical	138	$48,986	36

Rank places for an industry Open Jefferson County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 59,730 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $218.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Charles Town, West Virginia: $29.73 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $218.1K; −70% vs FY2025
Per resident: $29.73; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.8%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

8.8KFY2017
24KFY2018
115.8KFY2019
96.9KFY2020
467.8KFY2021
457.4KFY2022
429.6KFY2023
683.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Ship and boat building · 3366$214K98%
Offices of physicians · 6211$6,1782.8%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$2,1161.0%
Specialized design services · 5414$1,1070.5%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Charles Town, West Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Charles Town, West Virginia's figures are part of those of Jefferson County, WV ($169.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Charles Town is mostly in Jefferson County.

See federal money in Jefferson County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Charles Town, West Virginia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Riley M. MooreR-WV-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Jefferson County69100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV86

Other cities and towns in Jefferson County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5414610

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends