The book's checklist
- Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.9% above the U.S. average in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area.
- More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
- A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Charles itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
- Schools in town5 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
- A hospital close byJefferson Medical Center in Ranson, about 3 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
- Within reach of a big cityWashington is about 53 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.
A check means Charles meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.
What kind of town
Boom town. The population is up 43% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.
The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.
For a lifetime
Homes and money
- Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
- $377,700U.S.: $332,700
- Home prices since then
- Up 19%Jefferson County, 2022 to 2025
- Typical rent, with utilities
- $1,115 a monthU.S.: $1,413
- Typical household income
- $89,263U.S.: $80,734
- Homes owned by the people living in them
- 75%U.S.: 65%
- Typical property tax bill
- $2,213 a yearWest Virginia: $865
- Homes built before 1940
- 19%U.S.: 12%
- Homes built since 2010
- 25%U.S.: 11%
- Vacation and seasonal homes
- 3%U.S.: 3%
- Everyday prices
- 108.9U.S. average = 100 (the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area)
Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 19% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, not Charles alone. Check current listings before you budget.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
The people
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 9,3292020: 6,529
- Median age
- 38.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
- Age 65 and older
- 13%U.S.: 17%
- Under 18
- 24%U.S.: 22%
- Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
- 36%U.S.: 36%
- Moved here from another county or state in the past year
- 12%U.S.: 6%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Work
- Biggest lines of work
- Schools, health care and social services (21%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (14%); professional and business services (13%)
- Unemployment rate
- 6%U.S.: 5%
- Average commute
- 36 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
- Work from home
- 21%U.S.: 15%
- Below the poverty line
- 6%U.S.: 12%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Health care
Nearest emergency room: Jefferson Medical Center, Ranson, WV, about 3 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare gives it 1 of 5 stars.
Nearest general hospital: Berkeley Medical Center, Martinsburg, WV, about 16 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.
Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.
Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.
Schools
5 public schools in Charles, run by Jefferson County Schools.
Colleges in or next to town: Catholic International University (under 1,000 students).
See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on West Virginia's school report card.
Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.
Internet
- Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
- 82%U.S.: 76%
- Homes with any internet subscription
- 93%U.S.: 91%
Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Weather
- January average low
- 24°F
- July average high
- 87°F
- Days 90°F or hotter
- 26 a year
- Nights at or below freezing
- 104 a year
- Rain and melted snow
- 40.7 inches a year
- Snow
- 23 inches a year
- Elevation
- 517 feet
Weather stations: Martinsburg E Wv Rgnl Ap (11 miles away) and Winchester (15 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.
Getting around
Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Jefferson Medical Center, Frederick, Washington.
Jefferson County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).
For a day
34 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Jefferson County Courthouse, Beverley Boundary Increase, the Downtown Charles Town Historic District and the Gap View Farm. One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.
National Park Service sites within about an hour:
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park5 miles
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail6 miles
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park8 miles
- Antietam National Battlefield14 miles
- Monocacy National Battlefield26 miles
Campus life. Check Catholic International University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.
Read about Charles's history on Wikipedia.
Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.
Nearby
Straight-line miles.
Small towns
- Ranson, WV6,900 people, 3 miles
- Shannondale, WV3,500 people, 5 miles
- Berryville, VA4,800 people, 10 miles
- Inwood, WV2,800 people, 11 miles
- Shepherdstown, WV1,500 people, 12 miles
- Purcellville, VA8,900 people, 13 miles
Smaller places
- Middleway, WV (unincorporated)479 people, 6 miles
- Shenandoah Junction, WV (unincorporated)1,141 people, 6 miles
- Bolivar, WV983 people, 8 miles
- Harpers Ferry, WV266 people, 9 miles
- Shenandoah Retreat, VA (unincorporated)592 people, 9 miles
- Hillsboro, VA112 people, 10 miles
- Brucetown, VA (unincorporated)250 people, 10 miles
- Sandy Hook, MD (unincorporated)165 people, 10 miles
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
- Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
- National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
- National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
- U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
- National Park Service, park unit boundaries
- USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas
Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.