Moving to Big Chimney
Kanawha County loses about 3.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.
Where people come from and where they go, top counties
Within West Virginia, other states or abroad
Income per tax return
People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Kanawha County; flows under 20 returns are not published.
- Who moves here
- 3.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
- Who arrives and who leaves
- Households moving into Kanawha County report $47,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $61,900, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
- Income you would need
- $36,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
- Rent or buy
- Median rent is $906 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,511 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $147,300.
- Getting to work
- 22 minutes each way on average; 9.6% work from home.
- If it is close but not quite
- White Oak, PA matches it on character. Compare the two
All 5 moving measures
| Measure | Big Chimney | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moved here in the past year1County figure | 3.6% | 38% below | |
| Moved from another state1 | 0.0% | below (median 2.0%) | |
| Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure | -3.3 | below (median -0.6) | |
| Income of households moving in6County figure | $47,771 | 32% below | |
| Income of households moving out6County figure | $61,881 | 12% below |
What it costs to live here
Property tax paid (median) is $916, 72% below the median place.
Could you afford it?
Uses the median rent in Big Chimney, $906 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.
Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Big Chimney.
All 15 cost and housing measures
| Measure | Big Chimney | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent1County figure | $906 | 34% below | |
| Rent to income1 | 17.8% | 13% below | |
| Property tax rate1 | 0.6% | 32% below | |
| Home price to income1 | 2.4x | 36% below | |
| Prices vs US average2Metro figure | 88.7 | 12% below | |
| Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure | $1,048 | 35% below | |
| Property tax paid (median)1 | $916 | 72% below | |
| Median home value1County figure | $147,300 | 54% below | |
| Home prices, 1-year change4County figure | 1.8% | 42% below | |
| Home prices, 5-year change4County figure | 34.3% | 33% below | |
| Homeownership1 | 90.9% | 37% above | |
| Renters paying 30%+1County figure | 47.4% | 6% below | |
| Owner costs with a mortgage1 | $1,511 | 19% below | |
| Vacant homes1County figure | 15.4% | 119% above | |
| Median year built1 | 1959 | 1% below |
Work and pay
Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).
All 10 work and pay measures
| Measure | Big Chimney | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income1County figure | $60,943 | 24% below | |
| Income per person1 | $29,133 | 27% below | |
| Unemployment1County figure | 5.6% | 14% above | |
| Average annual pay5County figure | $64,239 | 3% below | |
| Pay growth, 1 year5County figure | 3.6% | 3% below | |
| Jobs5County figure | 95,946 | 36% below | |
| Poverty rate1 | 32.1% | 198% above | |
| Mean commute1County figure | 22 min | 12% below | |
| Works from home1County figure | 9.6% | 23% below | |
| Commutes by transit1 | 0.0% | below (median 0.8%) |
Who lives here
Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).
All 8 people measures
| Measure | Big Chimney | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population1 | 610 | 6646th largest | |
| Median age1 | 59.3 | 52% above | |
| Bachelor's or higher1County figure | 29.7% | 7% below | |
| High school or higher1County figure | 91.5% | 1% below | |
| Household size1 | 2.0 | 21% below | |
| Born abroad1 | 0.0% | below (median 8.8%) | |
| No health insurance1 | 0.0% | below (median 6.4%) | |
| Homes with broadband1 | 88.7% | 4% below |
Life in Big Chimney
94 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)
Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.
All 9 schools and local life measures
| Measure | Big Chimney | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public schools9County figure | 65 | above (median 9) | |
| Public school students9County figure | 24,773 | above (median 4,897) | |
| Students per teacher9County figure | 15.0 | 3% below | |
| Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure | 22.3 | 7% above | |
| Shops per 10k7County figure | 34.7 | 15% above | |
| Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure | 4.6 | 12% above | |
| Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure | 23.0 | 14% above | |
| Child care centers per 10k7County figure | 1.8 | 22% below | |
| National Register listings8County figure | 94 | above (median 13) |
Safety, weather and risk
Tornado risk is 35.2, 57% below the median place.
No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Big Chimney. Larger places are fetched first.
All 11 weather and risk measures
| Measure | Big Chimney | Among 6,645 places | Vs median |
|---|---|---|---|
| July average high10County figure | 86°F | 1% below | |
| January average low10County figure | 25°F | 1% below | |
| Average temperature10County figure | 55°F | 1% above | |
| Annual precipitation10County figure | 46.7 in | 7% above | |
| Natural hazard risk11County figure | 94.5 | 2% above | |
| Hurricane risk11County figure | 64.4 | 9% below | |
| Tornado risk11County figure | 35.2 | 57% below | |
| Wildfire risk11County figure | 61.5 | 1% above | |
| Heat wave risk11County figure | 91.7 | 2% above | |
| Median air quality index12County figure | 39 | 9% below | |
| Good air days12County figure | 77.0% | 12% above |
How it is changing
Five-year survey estimates, one point per release.
No history available.
Median household income
Median home value
Citytistics measures
Measures only Citytistics publishes, built from the figures on this page. Scores of 100 beat every place we track. Formulas
Big Chimney in 2030: where the trends point
Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.
| Measure | Latest | 2030 projection | Likely range | Avg. per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,403 (2024) | $55,500 | $47,000 to $65,500 | +4.2% |
| Median home value | $216,500 (2023) | $366,000 | $259,000 to $518,000 | +7.8% |
The median home would be worth 6.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.0 now.
A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.
Places like Big Chimney
The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.
| Place | Rent | Income | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak, PA | $1,000 | $59,452 | Compare |
| Inverness, FL | $975 | $43,523 | Compare |
| St. Francis, WI | $1,004 | $57,368 | Compare |
| Fortuna Foothills, AZ | $1,141 | $60,474 | Compare |
Nearby
- Charleston, WV7 mi
- South Charleston, WV11 mi
- Dunbar, WV12 mi
- Cross Lanes, WV13 mi
- Nitro, WV15 mi
- St. Albans, WV16 mi
Compare Big Chimney with
Common questions
Is Big Chimney a good place to live?
It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 22 West Virginia places. The median resident is 59.3 years old, older than in 97% of places its size. It is the highest of 31 West Virginia places. On cost, space and class size it scores 57 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.
Is Big Chimney expensive to live in?
The median rent takes 17.8% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $147,300.
What salary do you need to live in Big Chimney?
To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $36,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.
What places are similar to Big Chimney?
On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are White Oak, PA, Inverness, FL, St. Francis, WI and Fortuna Foothills, AZ.
Sources and methods
The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.
- American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
- Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
- Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
- House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
- SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
- County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
- National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
- Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
- 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
- National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
- Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files
Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).
What stands out compares Big Chimney with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Big Chimney itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/big-chimney-west-virginia
Citytistics. “Big Chimney, West Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/big-chimney-west-virginia/
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.