Elevation of Charleston
596ft
above sea level · 182 m
Charleston is the capital of West Virginia and its most populous city, with 46,117 people. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 23rd highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 38.35° N · 81.63° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 38° 20′ 59″ N · 81° 37′ 57″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 17S · 444,722 E · 4,244,819 N
- Zone 17 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 46,117 people
- 31.4 sq mi of land · 1,469 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2020: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Charleston had 46,117 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 5.5% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 48,810. Its 31.4 sq mi of land work out to 1,469 people/sq mi; the state average is 73 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 439 places the Census counts in West Virginia (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 2.6% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Kanawha County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.1 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Charleston sits at 596 ft (182 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Charleston is 502 ft below it.
The highest point in West Virginia is Spruce Knob, at 4,863 ft according to the USGS: 4,267 ft above Charleston, 116 mi away in a straight line.
- 23 Charleston 596 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Charleston.
What is the elevation of Charleston?
Charleston is 596 feet (182 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Charleston?
Latitude 38.34982 and longitude -81.63262, in decimal degrees (38° 20′ 59″ N · 81° 37′ 57″ W). In UTM, zone 17: 444,722 E and 4,244,819 N, on NAD83.
How does Charleston rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 23rd highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Charleston in?
Kanawha County, West Virginia.
Which is higher, Charleston or Columbus?
Columbus. Charleston sits at 596 ft and Columbus at 780 ft: a difference of 184 ft, 133 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know