# Kanawha, West Virginia — #2,578 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.42 of 10. FIPS 54039. Population 174,805. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 174,800 people live in Kanawha, West Virginia. It ranks #2,578 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #55 of 55 in West Virginia. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.63% of a home's value each year, less than in 62% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 59% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 89% of counties. Life expectancy is about 71.4 years, shorter than in 88% of counties. Air quality is better than in 54% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 40), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 96% of counties. On this site's state scores, West Virginia gets 5.5 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 5.50 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.97 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 5.80 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 5.02 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 6.85 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.21 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 1.40 |  |
| Government employees | county | 5.88 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 2.45 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #2040 Lincoln, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54043.md
- #2252 Raleigh, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54081.md
- #2168 Fayette, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54019.md
- #1637 Roane, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54087.md
- #1660 Clay, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54015.md
- #2428 Boone, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54005.md
- #1642 Jackson, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54035.md
- #1400 Putnam, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54079.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/54039
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=54039
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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