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COUNTY

Brooke County

West Virginia · 21,142 residents (2025 est.) · 89.2 sq mi
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Part of the Weirton metro area
The short version

Brooke County is a county of 21,805 people in West Virginia. The median age is 46.6, about 8 years above the US median. The typical home is worth $141,500, having more than doubled since 2000. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 23% of adults. The foreign-born share is 2%. Median rent is $645 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 46.6
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
21,805
−14%since 2000
from 25,447 in 2000
21,142 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
244 / sq mi
−8%since 2009
from 267 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
46.6
+13%since 2000
from 41.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
89.2 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
21K23K24K26K28K19902000201020202024Brooke County
202422K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.1%(886)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.9%(849)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.8%(1,263)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.1%(1,328)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.6%(1,434)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.3%(2,454)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4410.3%(2,243)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.2%(2,660)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.7%(3,195)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7414.9%(3,255)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.5%(1,630)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.8%(608)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$54,316
−10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,981 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$34,184
+100%since 2000
from $17,131 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
36.3%
+15.6 ptssince 2009
from 20.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
13.1%
+1.4 ptssince 2000
from 11.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.437
+3%since 2010
from 0.426 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information13.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade10.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade5.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance4.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Transportation & warehousing3.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Other services3.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical3.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration2.7%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing1.5%
US avg: 0.4%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$141,500
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $64,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$645
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $379 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
74.6%
−2.0 ptssince 2000
from 76.7% in 2000
25.4% rent
Vacancy rate
9.5%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 11.4% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.16 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.30 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
12.5%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 14.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
33.6%
+8.7 ptssince 2009
from 25.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.6
+25%since 2009
from 2.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
44
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic97.6%(24,841)
Black0.8%(215)
Hispanic / Latino0.4%(99)
Asian0.3%(87)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic92.4%(20,151)
Black1.5%(327)
Hispanic / Latino1.4%(310)
Asian0.7%(144)
Other4%(873)
Diversity Score
18
+136%since 2009
from 8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
28
−31%since 2020
from 41 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican0.4%(97)
Puerto Rican0.3%(66)
Spaniard0.1%(30)
Cuban0.1%(29)
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.5%(119)
Pacific Islander origin
Guamanian0.2%(39)
Ancestry
German19.2%(4,181)
Irish15.7%(3,430)
Italian14.3%(3,119)
English13.2%(2,889)
Polish5.8%(1,272)
American4.3%(935)
Welsh2.2%(474)
Scottish2.1%(448)
Scotch-Irish1.5%(337)
French1.1%(245)
Hungarian1%(220)
Slovak0.9%(189)
+ 30 more ancestry groups with data
Czech0.8%(165)
Dutch0.7%(151)
Russian0.6%(141)
Norwegian0.6%(135)
Croatian0.5%(102)
Greek0.5%(102)
Swedish0.4%(85)
Arab0.4%(84)
Austrian0.3%(58)
British0.2%(50)
Ukrainian0.2%(46)
Egyptian0.2%(41)
Serbian0.2%(40)
West Indian0.2%(40)
Lithuanian0.1%(31)
Swiss0.1%(23)
Belgian0.1%(22)
Romanian0.1%(21)
Slovene0.1%(21)
Finnish0.1%(20)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.4%
+10.0 ptssince 2000
from 13.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.8%
+14.1 ptssince 2000
from 79.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
8.7%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 4.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.8 min
+55%since 2000
from 16.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
81.0%
−4.5 ptssince 2009
from 85.5% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
7.3%
+4.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
7.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.3%
−3.8 ptssince 2011
from 10.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
55.0%
−2.8 ptssince 2011
from 57.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.5%
+3.3 ptssince 2020
from 67.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
17.5%
+5.4 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
35.4%
+8.9 ptssince 2009
from 26.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
50.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
1.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 1.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.4%
−6.7 ptssince 2009
from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
17.1%
+0.8 ptssince 2012
from 16.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.0%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 11.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
83.1%
+15.9 ptssince 2017
from 67.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
88.3%
+3.7 ptssince 2020
from 84.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
92.4%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 89.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
98.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2016
from 98.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
0.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 0.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33%(3,069)
Married46.4%(4,316)
Widowed6.4%(591)
Divorced14.2%(1,321)
Women 15+
Never married24.6%(2,341)
Married45.5%(4,331)
Widowed15.6%(1,486)
Divorced14.2%(1,352)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.0%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 11.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
56.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 56.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.7%
+3.5 ptssince 2020
from 14.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
27.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 25.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.9%
−2.8 ptssince 2020
from 22.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 3.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
68.1%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 69.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
44.0%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 45.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)14.6%(169)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.6%(250)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era43.3%(502)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.1%(59)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,159 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
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Brooke County to nearby counties

BROOKE COUNTY VS
Ohio County
Income$57,094+5%
Home value$166,000+17%
Population40,496+92%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BROOKE COUNTY VS
Jefferson County
Income$59,055+9%
Home value$127,800−10%
Population63,597+201%
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BROOKE COUNTY VS
Hancock County
Income$61,466+13%
Home value$130,800−8%
Population27,729+31%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BROOKE COUNTY VS
Washington County
Income$78,958+45%
Home value$228,500+61%
Population210,802+897%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Brooke County, West Virginia?

Brooke County, West Virginia has about 21,805 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Brooke County, West Virginia?

The typical household in Brooke County, West Virginia earns about $54,316 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Brooke County, West Virginia expensive?

In Brooke County, West Virginia, the median home is worth about $141,500, and the typical rent is about $645 a month.

How educated are people in Brooke County, West Virginia?

About 23.4% of adults age 25 and over in Brooke County, West Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Brooke County, West Virginia?

About 13.1% of people in Brooke County, West Virginia live below the federal poverty line.

Has Brooke County, West Virginia grown since 1990?

Yes, Brooke County, West Virginia has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 5,187 residents, a change of about -19 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →