Chariton is a very small city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 4,278 people and two associated neighborhoods, Chariton is the 114th largest community in Iowa. Chariton has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Chariton spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 15.61 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

Being a small city, Chariton does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.

In terms of college education, the citizens of Chariton rank slightly lower than the national average. 13.43% of adults 25 and older in Chariton have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree, while 21.84% of adults have a 4-year degree or higher in the average American community.

The per capita income in Chariton in 2022 was $25,196, which is low income relative to Iowa and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $100,784 for a family of four. However, Chariton contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Chariton home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Chariton residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Chariton include German, Irish, English, European, and Dutch.

The most common language spoken in Chariton is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Slavic languages.