Charleston composite
61.9 /100
Grade A · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Charleston vs Parkersburg
Charleston, WV and Parkersburg-Vienna, WV side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 61.9
- Charleston Life Score
- A
- Charleston grade
- 65.2
- Parkersburg Life Score
- A
- Parkersburg grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Charleston scores higher on 4 (wages, rent, safety, childcare) and Parkersburg on 3 (cost of living, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Charleston vs Parkersburg across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Charleston Parkersburg ◗
cost of living
82
91
wages
27
11
rent
100
98
safety
100
99
schools
22
22
childcare
63
62
environment
16
69
Charleston and Parkersburg differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Charleston has a cost-of-living index of 88.7 vs Parkersburg's 87.1 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $61,861 in Charleston and $56,041 in Parkersburg. A 2-bedroom averages $869/mo vs $928/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Charleston vs Parkersburg Comparison
Charleston (WV) and Parkersburg (WV) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 88.7 for Charleston against 87.1 for Parkersburg, a 1.7-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $869/mo in Charleston and $928/mo in Parkersburg, a $59/mo difference that compounds to $708 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $61,861 across 94,760 jobs in Charleston against $56,041 across 30,150 jobs in Parkersburg. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Charleston carries the same local purchasing power as $98,139 in Parkersburg - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 241.6 per 100,000 residents in WV vs 241.6 in WV, with property-crime rates of 1089.3 and 1089.3 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: WV lists 648 public schools at a 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio, while WV lists 648 schools at 13.1:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $8,974/yr in the Charleston area versus $8,974/yr in Parkersburg - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Charleston and Parkersburg are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Parkersburg composite
65.2 /100
Grade A · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
1.7 pts
Charleston vs Parkersburg BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$59 /mo
Parkersburg priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Charleston
Charleston composite (Grade A)
Parkersburg
Parkersburg composite (Grade A)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Charleston | Parkersburg |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 88.7 | 87.1 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.3 |
| Services | 91.7 | 92.9 |
| Rents | 51.4 | 45.9 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Parkersburg gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Charleston?
$
Equivalent in Parkersburg:
$98,139
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Charleston: 88.7, Parkersburg: 87.1, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Charleston | Parkersburg |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $669/mo | $741/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $674/mo | $745/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $869/mo | $928/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,195/mo | $1,194/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,458/mo | $1,253/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Charleston | Parkersburg |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $61,861 | $56,041 |
| Total Employment | 94,760 | 30,150 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Charleston (WV) | Parkersburg (WV) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 241.6 | 241.6 |
| Property Crime | 1089.3 | 1089.3 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | WV | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 648 | 648 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 13.1:1 | 13.1:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.6% | 0.6% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | WV | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $8,974/yr | $8,974/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $8,493/yr | $8,493/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $8,470/yr | $8,470/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | WV | WV |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 207 | 207 |
| Water Systems | 424 | 424 |
| Superfund Sites | 14 | 14 |
| Water Violations | 2,371 | 2,371 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Charleston | Parkersburg |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 40.0 | 43.0 |
| Good Air Days | 77.8% | 78.2% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 1 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | WV | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 1/100 | 1/100 |
| Total Violations | 187,590 | 187,590 |
| Health-Based Violations | 11,480 | 11,480 |
| Systems with Violations | 99.5% | 99.5% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | WV | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 361 | 361 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | WV | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 64/100 | 64/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 49.2 | 49.2 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 45.3 | 45.3 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Charleston more expensive than Parkersburg? ▼
Charleston has a cost of living index of 88.7 compared to Parkersburg's 87.1 (national average = 100). Charleston is 1.7 points above Parkersburg on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Charleston and Parkersburg? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $869/mo in Charleston vs $928/mo in Parkersburg, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $669/mo to $741/mo.
How do salaries compare between Charleston and Parkersburg? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $61,861 in Charleston and $56,041 in Parkersburg, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Charleston has the same purchasing power as $98,139 in Parkersburg.
Is Charleston or Parkersburg safer? ▼
At the state level, WV has a violent crime rate of 241.6 per 100,000 residents compared to WV's 241.6 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1089.3 vs 1089.3 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Charleston and Parkersburg? ▼
WV has 648 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.1:1, while WV has 648 schools at 13.1:1. Charter schools make up 0.6% of WV schools vs 0.6% in WV. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial