Karunagappally taluk consists of Alappad, Ochira, Adinad, Karunagappally, Thazhava, Pavumba, Thodiyoor, Kallalibhagom, Thevalakkara, Chavara, Neendakara, Clappana, Kulasekharapuram, Thekkumbhagam, Ayanivelikulangara, Panmana, Ponmana and Vadakumthala.

The main tourist attraction is the house boat facility in Alumkadavu which is close (only 3 km) to Karunagappally town.

Nowadays houseboat, safari boat and speed-boat services are operated from Kannetty boat club which 1 km apart from Karunagappally ksrtc bus stand to various places like Amrithapuri, Azheekkal beach, harbour, Ashtamudi lake through Vattakkayal, Kattilmekkathil temple and Chavara canal.

Other tourist attractions are Alumkadavu Backwater, Oachira temple, Pandarathuruth Church, Sheik Masjid Mosque, Padanayarkulangara Mahadeva Temple, Thazhava, Kovilthottam Light House, Sasthamkotta Lake, etc.

The high literacy of Kerala is reflected in Karunagappalli as well with 94.23% of the population classified as literate as against the national average of 74.04%.

Karungappalli used to be an agrarian economy until the late 19th century with coconut, banana, tapioca and paddy as the main crops grown.

Several cottage and small industries have now come up in the area including brick making, engineering and electronics.

Proximity to Kollam (27 km) and the excellent road and rail infrastructure have helped in this transition.

The area also receives substantial foreign remittances from the large number of people from here working in the Gulf countries.

In some coastal panchayats, median outdoor radiation levels are more than 4 mGy/yr and, in certain locations on the coast, it is as high as 70 mGy/yr.

Buses are available from Karunagappally to Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kayamkulam, Shasthamkotta, Harippad, Kottarakkara, Kodungallur, Guruvayur, etc.

It lies on the Kollam-Kayamkulam rail route of the Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam railway line and is only 1.5 km far from the KSRTC bus station.

KERAFED in Puthiyakavu, house-boat manufacturing in Alumkadavu, the state owned Kerala Feeds Ltd in Kallelibhagom are also major industries.

Prominent small scale and cottage industries are based on bricks, well rings making, engineering, electronics items and handicrafts.