County profile
Kanawha County, WV
United States · GDP 2024
#334 of 3,127 US counties by GDP57th-percentile growthmore diversified than 75% of counties
EA Place Score
——methodology in progress
GDP 2024 (USD)
$14.4B
BEA · 2024
GDP growth (YoY)
+5.0%
BEA · 2024
Jobs tracked
74,799
Census CBP · 2023
Employers
4,396
Census CBP · 2023
Avg. wage
$59.0k
BLS QCEW · 2023
Population
172,381
Census PEP · 2025
Labor, income & education
Unemployment
4.2%
Median HH income
$60.9k±$1.5k
Bachelor's degree+
29.7%±1.0%
Poverty rate
15.7%±1.0%
Business applications
1,645 · 2025
Retail establishments
613
35.3/10k pop
Public companies headquartered here
SEC EDGAR · FMPCompanySectorRevenueEA
1United Bankshares, Inc.Financial Services$312.0M57C2City Holding CompanyFinancial Services$74.3M68B3Surya Oil and Gas Corp.Energy$6.1M40DHQ-based placement with total (global) headcount — local employment attribution needs firmographic data; the industry mix at right is measured county data (CBP).
Industry mix · employment
Health care38%
Retail trade18%
Food & accommodation16%
Finance & insurance9%
Professional services9%
Admin & support8%
share of top-6 sector employment · CBP 2023
Population & migration
Census PEP · 2020–2025
172,381
residents · 2025 · -4.3% since 2020
Income per capita $63.7k · BEA 2024
COMPONENTS OF CHANGE · 2021–2025
Domestic migration−2,595
International migration+767
Natural change−5,975
GDP trend
2019–2024 · nominal
$11.3B2019
$10.9B2020
$11.9B2021
$12.9B2022
$13.8B2023
$14.4B2024
Real estate & risk
FHFA · ACS · FEMA
Median home value
$147.3k±$4.3k
Median gross rent
$906/mo±$25/mo
Vacancy rate
15.4%±1.0%
Affordability
2.5× wages
Residential permits
$11.8M
97 units · 0.6/1k pop
FEMA risk score
94.5
HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR):$1.0k/mo · 2026
TOP PERILS · FEMA NRI
Landslide 96Heat wave 92Lightning 91
FHFA HOUSE PRICE INDEX · 2016–2025
3112016
3112017
3172018
3162019
3232020
3472021
3762022
3922023
4262024
4342025
RESIDENTIAL PERMITS · 2021–2025
↓ -56% since 20212212021
1302022
1512023
982024
972025
Transport access
BTS · FAA · USACE
Nearest interstate
3.4 km
I-77
Nearest freight rail
3.8 km
KNWA
Nearest port
4.3 km
Amherst Industries, Port Amherst Aggregates Dock.
Nearest commercial airport
7.1 km
WEST VIRGINIA INTL YEAGER
Filing activity
SEC EDGARWage trend
BLS QCEW · 2019–2023$59.0k
avg. annual pay · +20% since 2019
Similar US counties
nearest by GDPThe read
What is the GDP of Kanawha?
Kanawha's economy produced $14.4B in 2024, growing 5.0% year over year — about the middle of the pack among US counties. Its largest employment sector is health care.
GDP: BEA (2024), USD-normalized · Jobs/employers/wages & industry mix: Census CBP (2023) · Population & migration: Census PEP · Income: BEA CAINC1 · Companies: SEC EDGAR + FMP, by HQ.