Charleston, WV
Across all occupations in the Charleston, WV metropolitan area, the median wage is $45,830 a year ($22.03 an hour) and the mean $58,170, May 2025. That median is −10% against the US median of $50,980 and +1% against West Virginia's $45,300. BLS counts 103,450 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is surgeons, all other; the largest is registered nurses.
All occupations: Charleston, WV vs West Virginia and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Charleston, WV | Hourly | $12.47 | $15.49 | $22.03 | $32.20 | $48.65 | $27.97 | 103,450 |
| Annual | $25,940 | $32,230 | $45,830 | $66,980 | $101,190 | $58,170 | ||
| West Virginia | Hourly | $12.53 | $15.16 | $21.78 | $31.22 | $47.22 | $27.15 | 701,610 |
| Annual | $26,070 | $31,530 | $45,300 | $64,940 | $98,220 | $56,470 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
341 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: West Virginia. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Charleston, WV
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surgeons, All Other | $619,320 | $297.75 | 60 |
| 2 | Radiologists | $482,670 | $232.05 | 60 |
| 3 | Family Medicine Physicians | $344,250 | $165.50 | 90 |
| 4 | Physicians, All Other | $285,470 | $137.24 | 180 |
| 5 | Nurse Anesthetists | $280,250 | $134.74 | 220 |
| 6 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $165,690 | $79.66 | 70 |
| 7 | Chief Executives | $161,540 | $77.66 | 240 |
| 8 | Dentists, General | $152,980 | $73.55 | 70 |
| 9 | Industrial Engineers | $143,860 | $69.16 | 160 |
| 10 | Pharmacists | $131,660 | $63.30 | 340 |
| 11 | Computer Network Architects | $131,210 | $63.08 | 70 |
| 12 | Nurse Practitioners | $129,260 | $62.14 | 370 |
| 13 | Electrical Engineers | $129,250 | $62.14 | 60 |
| 14 | Physician Assistants | $126,620 | $60.87 | 190 |
| 15 | Medical and Health Services Managers | $125,470 | $60.32 | 280 |
| 16 | Software Developers in West Virginia | $122,980 | $59.13 | 350 |
| 17 | Engineers, All Other | $119,900 | $57.64 | 130 |
| 18 | Financial Managers in West Virginia | $116,300 | $55.91 | 450 |
| 19 | Veterinarians | $112,140 | $53.91 | 50 |
| 20 | Industrial Production Managers | $107,960 | $51.90 | 110 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Charleston, WV
Most concentrated occupations in Charleston, WV
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gas Plant Operators | 8.26 | 100 | 0.96 | $85,790 |
| 2 | Environmental Engineers | 8.01 | 200 | 1.97 | * |
| 3 | Financial Clerks, All Other | 7.59 | 180 | 1.77 | $44,200 |
| 4 | Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 7.54 | 170 | 1.68 | $59,090 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 7.41 | 330 | 3.20 | $63,540 |
| 6 | Nurse Anesthetists | 6.52 | 220 | 2.17 | $280,250 |
| 7 | Cooks, Fast Food in West Virginia | 5.22 | 2,230 | 21.51 | $23,180 |
| 8 | Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators | 5.09 | 360 | 3.44 | $59,490 |
| 9 | Phlebotomists | 4.75 | 450 | 4.38 | $40,120 |
| 10 | Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 4.55 | 210 | 2.00 | $54,180 |
Occupation groups in Charleston, WV
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $90,330 | $108,040 | 6,740 | 65.18 | 0.91 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $82,680 | $91,730 | 1,780 | 17.24 | 1.02 |
| Legal | $81,890 | $95,260 | 1,620 | 15.65 | 1.86 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $78,190 | $102,530 | 10,560 | 102.07 | 1.62 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $68,310 | $80,910 | 2,510 | 24.29 | 0.72 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $64,170 | $73,100 | 1,420 | 13.70 | 1.45 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $63,990 | $74,640 | 5,920 | 57.19 | 0.84 |
| Construction and Extraction | $59,630 | $60,610 | 4,780 | 46.22 | 1.12 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $50,810 | $51,490 | 4,440 | 42.94 | 0.73 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $50,560 | $56,710 | 5,010 | 48.47 | 1.24 |
| Community and Social Service | $49,990 | $52,580 | 2,490 | 24.06 | 1.40 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $44,710 | $50,560 | 860 | 8.31 | 0.63 |
| Production | $44,180 | $50,240 | 3,520 | 33.99 | 0.62 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $40,510 | $44,250 | 13,270 | 128.30 | 1.12 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $36,840 | $42,920 | 7,530 | 72.75 | 0.83 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $34,140 | $38,680 | 50 | 0.45 | 0.16 |
| Protective Service | $33,910 | $38,050 | 3,910 | 37.81 | 1.56 |
| Healthcare Support | $32,620 | $33,660 | 6,670 | 64.49 | 1.27 |
| Sales and Related | $30,680 | $39,520 | 8,110 | 78.42 | 0.91 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $30,610 | $33,200 | 2,950 | 28.48 | 0.97 |
| Personal Care and Service | $28,640 | $32,750 | 1,420 | 13.73 | 0.66 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $27,410 | $29,940 | 7,890 | 76.28 | 0.87 |
Every occupation in West Virginia, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 341 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Charleston, WV estimates (area 16620).
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Charleston, WV area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.