Sophia is a city of 1,528 people in West Virginia. 7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. 38.0% of people here live below the federal poverty line. At a median age of 45.4, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $116,900. Households here earn about 39% less than in West Virginia as a whole.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $36,080, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 45.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
7% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Sophia
What changed most since 1990
Poverty rate21.3% → 38.0%(+16.8 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Homes owned by their occupants69.3% → 58.1%(−11.1 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
White share98.1% → 91.0%(−7.1 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Sophia's population equals 2.1% of Raleigh County's. Its number of veterans equals 0.4% of the county's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 8.8% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)25%(4)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)0%(0)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era75%(12)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War0%(0)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 16 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Sophia, decade by decade
Sophia population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
1,162
$37,103
$96,483
7.3%
4.7
2000
1,301
$47,378
$98,552
10.6%
9.4
2010
1,344
$46,154
$104,009
6.4%
7.0
2020
1,130
$34,246
$108,235
8.3%
20.9
2024
1,528
$36,080
$116,900
6.6%
20.5
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
