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COUNTY

Nicholas County

West Virginia · 23,848 residents (2025 est.) · 647 sq mi
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The short version

Nicholas County is a county of 24,277 people in West Virginia. At a median age of 46.1, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 82% of homes are owner-occupied. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $121,600. 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. The foreign-born share is 2%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 46.1
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 26%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
24,277
−9%since 2000
from 26,562 in 2000
23,848 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
38 / sq mi
−7%since 2009
from 40 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
46.1
+17%since 2000
from 39.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
647 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
24K25K26K26K27K19902000201020202024Nicholas County
202424K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.7%(1,133)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.2%(1,517)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.4%(1,315)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(1,535)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244.5%(1,090)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.5%(2,550)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.1%(2,698)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.7%(3,094)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.6%(3,536)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7414.3%(3,482)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.8%(1,896)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(431)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$54,639
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $26,974 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,265
+112%since 2000
from $15,207 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
36.8%
+18.6 ptssince 2009
from 18.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
15.4%
−3.8 ptssince 2000
from 19.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.483
+8%since 2010
from 0.445 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade8.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing7.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Finance & insurance7.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Retail trade6.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Manufacturing5.7%
US avg: 0.4%
Education & health services3.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Other services2.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Construction2.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Public administration1.7%
US avg: 4.8%
Arts, entertainment, food0.7%
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$121,600
+26%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $52,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$686
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $360 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
82.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2000
from 82.8% in 2000
17.8% rent
Vacancy rate
24.6%
+3.5 ptssince 2009
from 21.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.55 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.53 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
12.8%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 14.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
24.9%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 25.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.2
+14%since 2009
from 2.0 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
52
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic98.5%(26,170)
Black0%(10)
Hispanic / Latino0.5%(127)
Asian0.2%(50)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic96.3%(23,372)
Black0.5%(133)
Hispanic / Latino1.1%(265)
Asian0.2%(59)
Other1.8%(448)
Diversity Score
9
+673%since 2009
from 1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
37
+10%since 2020
from 34 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
Guatemalan1%(232)
Peruvian0.1%(19)
Asian origin
Filipino0.1%(29)
Chinese0.1%(21)
Ancestry
English17.3%(4,212)
Irish12.7%(3,074)
German12.6%(3,058)
American12.4%(3,008)
Scotch-Irish1.8%(439)
Scottish1.7%(406)
Polish1.3%(308)
Dutch1.1%(276)
French1%(234)
Italian0.9%(223)
Greek0.5%(129)
Welsh0.5%(118)
+ 8 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.3%(70)
Swedish0.1%(23)
Danish0.1%(17)
Ukrainian0.1%(16)
British0.1%(15)
Czech0%(11)
Slovak0%(6)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.3%
+13.5 ptssince 2000
from 9.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.3%
+20.3 ptssince 2000
from 70.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
9.3%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 4.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
33.1 min
+57%since 2000
from 21.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
79.2%
−6.8 ptssince 2009
from 86.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
13.4%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
4.8%
+3.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.8%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.9%
−2.9 ptssince 2011
from 8.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
46.7%
−6.7 ptssince 2011
from 53.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
62.5%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 60.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
16.0%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 17.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
36.7%
+12.5 ptssince 2009
from 24.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.6%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
49.4%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
1.6%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.6%
−4.6 ptssince 2009
from 12.2% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
22.0%
Unchangedsince 2012
from 22.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.8%
−9.1 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
83.2%
+15.5 ptssince 2017
from 67.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
90.0%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 86.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.7%
−2.8 ptssince 2020
from 94.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
99.2%
+0.2 ptssince 2016
from 98.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
0.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2016
from 0.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married28%(2,863)
Married51.6%(5,285)
Widowed5%(512)
Divorced15.4%(1,575)
Women 15+
Never married17.1%(1,724)
Married50%(5,043)
Widowed12.4%(1,251)
Divorced20.4%(2,059)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.8%
−9.1 ptssince 2013
from 14.9% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
49.9%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 49.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.4%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 10.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
30.4%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 28.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
26.9%
−5.8 ptssince 2020
from 32.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 4.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
59.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 60.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
53.5%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 55.2% 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)10.8%(157)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26%(378)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era44.6%(649)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.7%(39)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,456 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 Nicholas County to nearby counties

NICHOLAS COUNTY VS
Clay County
Income$42,318−23%
Home value$109,100−10%
Population7,538−68%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NICHOLAS COUNTY VS
Webster County
Income$43,839−20%
Home value$76,100−37%
Population7,760−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NICHOLAS COUNTY VS
Fayette County
Income$53,194−3%
Home value$105,800−13%
Population38,165+60%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NICHOLAS COUNTY VS
Braxton County
Income$50,331−8%
Home value$117,900−3%
Population11,885−50%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Nicholas County, West Virginia?

Nicholas County, West Virginia has about 24,277 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Nicholas County, West Virginia earns about $54,639 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Nicholas County, West Virginia expensive?

In Nicholas County, West Virginia, the median home is worth about $121,600, and the typical rent is about $686 a month.

How educated are people in Nicholas County, West Virginia?

About 23.3% of adults age 25 and over in Nicholas County, West Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

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

About 15.4% of people in Nicholas County, West Virginia live below the federal poverty line.

Has Nicholas County, West Virginia grown since 1990?

Yes, Nicholas County, West Virginia has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 2,498 residents, a change of about -9 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 →