Kanawha County, West Virginia

Kanawha County is a county in West Virginia, United States, centred on Charleston, the state
capital, about 50 miles east of Huntington. It had a population of 180,745 at the 2020 census,
the most of any West Virginia county, an estimated 172,381 by 2025, and covers 911 square miles
(2,360 km2) centred near 38°20′N 81°32′W.

Charleston is the county seat and the state capital; its postal code is 25301. The county
holds 8 cities, 8 incorporated towns and 18 census-designated places, and it runs on Eastern
Time. Its FIPS code is 54039.

Towns & Villages in Kanawha County

Kanawha County has 34 named places on record: 16 incorporated cities and towns and 18
census-designated places (CDPs) with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census
designated place; population figures below are from the 2020 census.

Three of the county’s cities straddle county lines. Nitro’s population figure above is
citywide — most of the city sits in Kanawha, but a share of it reaches into Putnam
County. Montgomery and Smithers work the same way, with parts of each city extending into
Fayette County. Alum Creek, the CDP, splits the other direction, with a portion crossing west
into Lincoln County.

ZIP Codes

• 25301 — Charleston (downtown; the city also uses 25302–25306, 25311–25315 and 25320–25396 for other neighborhoods and PO boxes)
• 25303 — South Charleston
• 25177 — St. Albans
• 25313 — Cross Lanes (also serves 25356)
• 25064 — Dunbar
• 25143 — Nitro
• 25312 — Sissonville (also serves 25320 and 25360)
• 25156 — Pinch (PO box ZIP)
• 25315 — Marmet (also serves 25365)
• 25003 — Alum Creek
• 25071 — Elkview
• 25015 — Belle
• 25202 — Tornado
• 25045 — Clendenin
• 25067 — East Bank
• 25112 — Institute (PO box ZIP)
• 25039 — Cedar Grove
• 25086 — Glasgow (PO box ZIP)
• 25162 — Pratt (PO box ZIP)
• 25075 — Eskdale
• 25102 — Handley (PO box ZIP)

Rand, Chesapeake, Coal Fork, Chelyan, Big Chimney, West Dunbar, Jefferson, Shrewsbury, Dupont
City, Malden and Hollygrove have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under a
neighboring town’s code. Montgomery and Smithers use ZIP codes assigned from the Fayette County
side of their city limits.

Geography

Kanawha County sits in the Allegheny Plateau of central West Virginia, a region of steep
wooded ridges cut by narrow river valleys. Of its 911 square miles, 902 are land and about 9 are
water, mostly the Kanawha and Elk rivers, which meet at Charleston. The Kanawha River, which
gives the county its name, runs west through the county’s populated core and carries barge
traffic to the Ohio River. The Elk River joins it at downtown Charleston, and the smaller
Pocatalico River drains the county’s northwestern reaches around Sissonville.

Jackson County lies to the north, Roane County to the northwest, Clay County to the
northeast, Nicholas County to the east, Fayette County to the southeast, Raleigh County to the
south, Boone County to the southwest, Lincoln County to the west, and Putnam County to the
west-northwest. Jackson
County, Roane County, Clay County, Nicholas County, Fayette County, Raleigh County, Boone County, Lincoln County and Putnam County all border
Kanawha directly; Fayette County has no page of its own on this site yet.

Demographics

Kanawha County had a population of 180,745 at the 2020 census, the largest of West
Virginia’s 55 counties, and the latest estimate puts it near 172,381 residents, part of a
statewide decline. Charleston and South Charleston are by far the two largest communities,
together holding a third of the county’s population. Median household income runs $56,112 (2020
ACS 5-year estimate), below West Virginia’s 2023 statewide figure of $55,948 by only a narrow
margin — the county actually tracks close to the state median rather than pulling ahead of
it as the capital county often does elsewhere. Population density works out to roughly 200
people per square mile of land, the highest of any rural West Virginia county outside the
Eastern Panhandle.

Economy & Local Life

West Virginia’s state government is the county’s largest single employer, since Charleston is
its capital and hosts the legislature, the governor’s office and most executive-branch
agencies. Health care follows close behind: CAMC Health System runs several hospital campuses in
and around Charleston and is one of the region’s biggest private employers. Chemical
manufacturing, once the backbone of the “Chemical Valley” stretch of the Kanawha River between
South Charleston and Nitro, still employs several thousand workers at plants run by Dow, Covestro
and other producers, though the industry is smaller than at its mid-20th-century peak. Institute
is home to West Virginia State University, and Charleston hosts the University of Charleston and
a campus of BridgeValley Community and Technical College. The county’s biggest annual event is
FestivALL Charleston, a ten-day arts, music and food festival held each June along the Kanawha
River waterfront downtown.

History

Virginia’s General Assembly formed Kanawha County on 5 October 1789, carving it out of
Greenbrier and Montgomery counties while West Virginia was still part of Virginia. It takes its
name from the Kanawha River, a word from the region’s Iroquoian dialects meaning roughly
“water way.” Charleston, laid out on land owned by early settler George Clendenin, became the
county seat and, later, the capital of the new border state West Virginia when it split from
Virginia in 1863.

The county’s coalfields brought sustained labor conflict in the early 20th century,
including the violent 1912–13 Paint Creek–Cabin Creek miners’ strike, one of the
bloodiest labor disputes in American history. In 1974, a dispute over new public-school
textbooks touched off months of protests, boycotts and several bombings across the county,
drawing national attention to Kanawha County schools.

Getting There

Interstates 64, 77 and 79 all cross the county and meet at Charleston, along with US Routes
60 and 119 and several state routes.

• Huntington — about 50 miles west
• Beckley — about 55 miles south
• Ripley — about 35 miles northwest
• Parkersburg — about 75 miles north-northwest

Yeager Airport (CRW), 3 miles east of downtown Charleston, is the county’s own commercial
airport, with nonstop service on American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express and Breeze
Airways. Amtrak’s Cardinal calls at Charleston’s station three times a week, connecting toward
Chicago in one direction and Washington and New York in the other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kanawha County located?
It sits in central West Virginia’s Allegheny Plateau, centred on Charleston, about 50 miles east
of Huntington, bordered by Jackson, Roane, Clay, Nicholas, Fayette, Raleigh, Boone, Lincoln and
Putnam counties.

What is the population of Kanawha County?
180,745 at the 2020 census, the largest of any West Virginia county, with a 2025 estimate near
172,381.

How big is Kanawha County?
911 square miles (2,360 km2), of which 902 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Kanawha County?
Charleston, which is also the state capital of West Virginia.

How many towns and cities are in Kanawha County?
16 incorporated places — 8 cities (Charleston, South Charleston, St. Albans, Dunbar,
Nitro, Marmet, Montgomery and Smithers) and 8 towns (Belle, Cedar Grove, Chesapeake, Clendenin,
East Bank, Glasgow, Handley and Pratt) — plus 18 census-designated places.

What ZIP codes does Kanawha County use?
25301 through 25396 cover Charleston; other main codes include 25303 for South Charleston,
25177 for St. Albans, 25064 for Dunbar and 25143 for Nitro.

What is Kanawha County known for?
Being home to West Virginia’s state capital, Charleston, and to the “Chemical Valley” stretch of
chemical plants along the Kanawha River between South Charleston and Nitro.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in West Virginia.