Metropolitan market · West Virginia · September 2026 data

What is the Charleston, WV real estate market doing?

As of September 2026, the median home listed in Charleston, WV asks $189,325, up 20.6% year over year. Homes spend a median of 49 days on market, with 416 active listings and 14% carrying a price cut; pending contracts equal 60% of active listings, and inventory sits at 38% of the same month in 2019 — a balanced market. Estimated gross rental yield on the median listing is 6.5%. Figures come from public records and industry data, updated monthly.

Median listing price
$189,325
▲ 20.6% YoY
Median $ / sq ft
$113
1,599 sq ft median
Median days on market
49
September 2026
Active listings
416
For sale now
New listings
184
September 2026
Listings with price cuts
14%
Share of active
Inventory vs 2019
38%
Same month, 2019 = 100
Pending / active
60%
Contract activity
Median sale price (closed)
$180,000
▼ 2.8% YoY · closed sales · July 2026
Sale-to-list ratio
95.3%
Closed sales · July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Homes sold / month
154
Closed sales · July 2026, seasonally adjusted

What is the Charleston, WV housing market doing right now?

The Charleston, WV housing market lists at a $189,325 median as of September 2026, up 20.6% year over year, with a 49-day median market time and 416 homes for sale (14% with a price cut). Active inventory is 38% of the 2019 level, reading as a balanced market under WealthyBud's published buyer/seller rule. Gross rental yield is about 6.5%.

Charleston housing market statistics

The table summarizes Charleston's key housing figures for September 2026 — median listing and closed-sale prices, market pace, inventory and rental yield — each computed from public records and industry data. Closed-sale figures are Redfin's July 2026 data, the latest settled month Redfin reports for Charleston.

Charleston, WV housing market at a glance — September 2026
MetricLatestDetail
Median listing price$189,325+20.6% YoY
Median price per sq ft$1131,599 sq ft median
Median days on market49-3% YoY
Active listings416+2% YoY
New listings this month184September 2026
Listings with a price cut14%Share of active
Median sale price (closed)$180,000-2.8% YoY · closed sales, July 2026
Sale-to-list ratio95.3%Closed sales, July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Pending-to-active ratio59.7%249 pending
Inventory vs 201938%Active listings vs same month in 2019
Gross rental yield6.5%2BR fair market rent

How have home prices changed in Charleston?

Charleston home prices are up 20.6% year over year and +5.2% month over month as of September 2026, at a $189,325 median listing price. The chart tracks the trailing eight-quarter trend in the metro's median asking price.

$189K$181K$173K$165K Q4'24Q1'25Q2'25Q3'25Q4'25Q1'26Q2'26Q3'26

Median listing price, Charleston WV · trailing 8 quarters · source: public records and industry data.

The 10-year view
$173K$165K$157K$148K '17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26

10-year median listing price, Charleston WV · June of each year, 2017–2026 · source: public records and industry data.

How much inventory is on the market in Charleston?

Charleston has 416 active listings, 184 new this month, 249 pending as of September 2026. About 14% of active listings have cut their price, and inventory sits at 38% of its 2019 level — a balanced market by pace.

Active listings
416
New this month
184
Pending
249
Price-reduced
57

Is Charleston a good real estate investment?

Charleston scores 83/100 on WealthyBud's composite Investor Score, ranking #7 of 933 covered U.S. metros as of September 2026. The score blends price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat into one percentile. It is a research opinion, not advice.

Investor Score
83/100
#7 of 933 covered metros
12-month outlook
+6.5%
▲ Rising · model output, not advice
Price volatility
Low
σ 3.6% · 20-yr price-index swings
Momentum
71
Value
88
Rental yield
97
Supply risk
2
Market heat
58

Charleston scores 83/100 on our composite Investor Score (#7 of 933 covered metros), a percentile blend of momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market-heat readings; the metro's long-run house price index has it up 39% over five years and +55% over ten, leaving prices 31% above its own 2000–2019 trend; at the published FY2026 fair market rent of $1,019/mo for a two-bedroom, the gross rental yield on the median listing is about 6.5%; active inventory sits at 38% of its June 2019 level, so supply is still below pre-pandemic norms; listing prices are up 20.6% year over year; all against a national 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 7.28% (national weekly average, 2026-10-01).

Scores are percentile ranks (0–100) across all covered U.S. metros, computed from the public data cited on this page — formulas here. They are data-derived opinions, not investment advice. See how Charleston ranks on the trending markets index.

How much is a monthly mortgage payment in Charleston?

A home at Charleston's $189,325 median listing runs about $1,036 a month in principal and interest — 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the current 7.28% national average rate. Taxes, insurance and HOA are extra.

If rates fall 1% · 6.28%
$936/mo
−$101/mo vs today
At today's rate · 7.28%
$1,036/mo
National weekly average
If rates rise 1% · 8.28%
$1,141/mo
+$105/mo vs today

Principal & interest on the $189,325 median listing with 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan — excludes taxes, insurance and HOA. Current rate: 7.28% (national weekly average, 2026-10-01). Model a full deal in the deal analyzer.

How much income do you need to buy a home in Charleston?

To buy Charleston’s $189,325 median listing with 20% down, a household needs about $49,000 a year in gross income, keeping principal, interest and property tax ($1,144/mo) at 28% of income. The area’s median household income is $58,089, so the median listing is within reach of a typical Charleston household on these terms.

Income needed to buy the median home in Charleston, WV — September 2026
ItemAmountBasis
Median listing price$189,325September 2026
Down payment (20%)$37,865Assumption
Principal & interest (7.28%, 30-yr fixed)$1,036/moRate as of 2026-10-01
Property tax (0.68% effective rate)$107/moCensus ACS
Income needed (28% rule)$49,000Gross household income / yr
Median household income$58,089Census ACS 2023 ACS 5-year

Excludes homeowners insurance, HOA dues and mortgage insurance, so the true income needed is higher. Compare every market in the income-needed ranking and the price-to-income ranking.

What is driving the Charleston housing market?

Longer-run demand in Charleston shows up in 116 homes permitted in 2025; net migration of -461 residents; -0.7% job growth. Natural-hazard risk rates Relatively High. These federal supply-pipeline, migration and jobs signals shape where prices head next.

Building permits (2025)
116
▼ 1.7% vs 2024
0.6 per 1,000 residents
Net migration (2022–2023)
-461
▼ people, via tax-return records
net income flow −$62.3M/yr
Job growth (YoY)
-0.7%
▼ 104.7k nonfarm jobs · August 2026
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively High
National hazard index · top hazard: Riverine flooding

Based on public government records — building-permit, tax-return migration, employment and natural-hazard statistics, aggregated to the metro. Details on /methodology.

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Charleston housing market FAQ

What is the median home price in Charleston?
As of September 2026, the median listing price in Charleston, WV is $189,325, up 20.6% year over year (source: public records and industry data). Figures cover the Charleston, WV metro area.
How much does it cost to buy a home in Charleston?
The median home listed in Charleston asks $189,325 as of September 2026. With 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the current 7.28% national average rate, that runs about $1,036 a month in principal and interest, before taxes, insurance and HOA.
How fast are homes selling in Charleston?
The median property in Charleston spends 49 days on the market, with 416 homes actively listed and 14% of them carrying a price cut — a balanced market as of September 2026.
Is it a buyer's or seller's market in Charleston?
With a median 49 days on market and 14% of active listings carrying a price cut, pending contracts at 60% of active listings, Charleston reads as a balanced market as of September 2026. Labels use WealthyBud's published DOM / sale-to-list / price-cut / pending rule. Conditions shift monthly.
Is Charleston a good place to invest in real estate?
Charleston scores 83/100 on WealthyBud's Investor Score, ranking #7 of 933 covered U.S. metros as of September 2026. The score blends price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat. It is a data-derived research opinion, not investment advice.
Who are the top real estate agents in Charleston?
See WealthyBud directories for the top-producing agents, teams and brokerages serving Charleston and the wider West Virginia market, ranked by recent sales from public profile data.
Based on public records and industry data, September 2026 — see our methodology for how every figure is computed. Figures cover the Charleston, WV metro area. Figures change monthly — verify current conditions with a local agent or MLS. Portions of market data courtesy of Realtor.com and Redfin; additional statistics from U.S. government sources.

More West Virginia housing markets

Naomi Whitfield Real Estate Data Analyst

Naomi Whitfield is a real estate data analyst who builds metro-level price, inventory and days-on-market datasets from public MLS aggregates and county records. She reviews WealthyBud's market pages for data accuracy before they publish.

Editorial persona: WealthyBud bylines are editorial personas, not real individuals. Pages are produced by the WealthyBud research team from the public data cited on each page.