Accountants & Auditors salary in Charleston, WV
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Charleston, WV: $62,990/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $44,990 – $98,390 · about 940 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($74,290) by −$11,300 (-15%).
What it's really worth in Charleston
With Charleston's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $62,990 has the buying power of about $70,729 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $54,473 · median home $148,817 · median rent $1,265/mo.
How Charleston ranks for this job
On raw pay, Charleston, WV is 175th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Charleston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 166th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Charleston sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Charleston
A median home in Charleston, WV costs $148,817 — about 2.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,265/mo works out at 24% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Charleston.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Charleston | Rent vs Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +81% | 2.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +65% | 2.6× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +65% | 2.8× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +55% | 1.9× |
Same job elsewhere in WV
| Metro | Median pay | vs Charleston | Rent vs Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington, WV | $62,820 | +0% | 0.9× |
Staying in WV keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires accountants & auditors around Charleston
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- United Bank of West Virginia · Finance
- State of West Virginia · Government
- Charleston Stamping and Manufacturing · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Charleston
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.