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STATE · ADMITTED 1863

West Virginia

1,778,373 residents · 55 counties · 439 cities · 24,038 sq mi · 546 census tracts
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The short version

West Virginia is a state of 1,778,373 people. 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $162,600. The foreign-born share is 2%. At a median age of 42.7, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 75% of homes are owner-occupied.

WV
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,778,373
−2%since 2000
from 1,808,344 in 2000
1990 – 2024
Population density
74 / sq mi
−2%since 2009
from 75 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
42.7
+10%since 2000
from 38.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
24,038 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
1.8M1.8M1.8M1.8M1.9M19902000201020202024West Virginia
20241.8M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(88,061)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(95,225)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146%(106,877)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.2%(110,469)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.3%(111,419)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412%(212,704)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412%(212,991)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.6%(223,980)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.6%(242,555)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.6%(223,868)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.4%(113,504)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(36,720)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$59,608
+10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $29,696 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$34,203
+108%since 2000
from $16,477 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
39.9%
+20.3 ptssince 2009
from 19.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.7%
−1.2 ptssince 2000
from 17.9% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.471
+4%since 2010
from 0.454 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade8%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade6.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance6.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services4.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Manufacturing2.5%
US avg: 0.4%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.7%
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$162,600
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $66,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$872
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $401 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
74.9%
−0.3 ptssince 2000
from 75.2% in 2000
25.1% rent
Vacancy rate
15.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 15.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.37 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.37 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
14.5%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 17.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.4%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 38.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.7
+11%since 2009
from 2.4 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic94.6%(1,709,966)
Black3.1%(56,825)
Hispanic / Latino0.7%(12,279)
Asian0.5%(9,356)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic89.7%(1,594,845)
Black3.1%(54,933)
Hispanic / Latino2.1%(38,175)
Asian0.8%(13,343)
Other4.3%(77,077)
Diversity Score
24
+54%since 2009
from 16 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican0.8%(13,902)
Puerto Rican0.3%(5,654)
Central American0.3%(5,532)
South American0.2%(3,808)
Salvadoran0.1%(2,207)
Guatemalan0.1%(1,540)
Cuban0.1%(1,444)
Spaniard0.1%(1,365)
Peruvian0.1%(1,239)
Dominican0.1%(1,100)
Colombian0.1%(912)
Honduran0%(738)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0%(552)
Panamanian0%(446)
Venezuelan0%(387)
Argentine0%(301)
Chilean0%(197)
Nicaraguan0%(135)
Bolivian0%(109)
Uruguayan0%(23)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.2%(3,479)
Filipino0.2%(2,926)
Chinese0.1%(2,270)
Vietnamese0.1%(1,019)
Korean0%(812)
Japanese0%(630)
Pakistani0%(406)
Thai0%(312)
Burmese0%(287)
Sri Lankan0%(282)
Laotian0%(133)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0%(84)
Taiwanese0%(77)
Cambodian0%(37)
Kazakh0%(9)
Uzbek0%(7)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(445)
Guamanian0%(236)
Chamorro0%(46)
Ancestry
English15.7%(278,511)
German14.7%(260,636)
Irish12.3%(218,888)
American9.5%(169,132)
Italian4.1%(73,182)
Scottish2.2%(38,382)
Scotch-Irish1.6%(27,883)
Polish1.6%(27,712)
French1.1%(19,577)
Dutch0.8%(15,080)
Welsh0.7%(12,079)
Hungarian0.4%(7,577)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Arab0.4%(6,358)
Swedish0.4%(6,263)
Norwegian0.3%(5,198)
British0.3%(5,195)
Greek0.3%(4,688)
Russian0.2%(4,169)
Slovak0.2%(3,251)
Czech0.2%(3,121)
Lebanese0.2%(3,108)
Swiss0.2%(2,999)
West Indian0.1%(2,562)
Croatian0.1%(2,522)
French Canadian0.1%(2,041)
Austrian0.1%(1,917)
Ukrainian0.1%(1,757)
Lithuanian0.1%(1,540)
Jamaican0.1%(1,323)
Nigerian0.1%(1,174)
Finnish0.1%(1,132)
Danish0.1%(1,032)
Belgian0.1%(1,029)
Portuguese0.1%(997)
Syrian0.1%(910)
Egyptian0%(860)
Canadian0%(849)
Romanian0%(734)
Slovene0%(722)
Serbian0%(647)
Haitian0%(604)
Iranian0%(448)
Ethiopian0%(443)
Brazilian0%(438)
Guyanese0%(371)
Turkish0%(329)
Ghanaian0%(180)
Jordanian0%(158)
Australian0%(152)
Armenian0%(144)
Latvian0%(137)
Bulgarian0%(117)
Israeli0%(101)
Iraqi0%(89)
Kenyan0%(86)
Moroccan0%(74)
Barbadian0%(54)
Somali0%(16)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
24.1%
+9.3 ptssince 2000
from 14.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.3%
+14.1 ptssince 2000
from 75.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
9.7%
+3.8 ptssince 2000
from 5.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.6 min
+46%since 2000
from 18.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
78.1%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 81.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.5%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 11.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
9.1%
+6.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.0%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.4%
−2.1 ptssince 2011
from 7.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
53.8%
−1.1 ptssince 2011
from 54.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
66.9%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 65.0% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 14.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
37.9%
+8.2 ptssince 2009
from 29.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
50.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
1.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.4%
−4.6 ptssince 2009
from 12.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
19.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2012
from 19.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.0%
−8.3 ptssince 2013
from 14.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.1%
+15.8 ptssince 2017
from 70.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
91.2%
+5.0 ptssince 2020
from 86.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.7%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 88.6% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
97.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 97.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 1.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33%(243,745)
Married50.5%(373,451)
Widowed3.9%(28,900)
Divorced12.6%(93,118)
Women 15+
Never married25.2%(188,556)
Married49.1%(367,743)
Widowed11.9%(88,780)
Divorced13.9%(103,917)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.0%
−8.3 ptssince 2013
from 14.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
54.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 54.1% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.8%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 11.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
24.2%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 23.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
26.5%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 26.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 3.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
63.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 63.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
47.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 47.1% 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)22.3%(23,412)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.6%(23,672)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36%(37,826)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.9%(4,126)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(635)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 104,941 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
Section 02

Largest cities

See all cities in West Virginia →
1.Charleston46,117
2.Huntington44,815
3.Morgantown30,293
4.Parkersburg28,593
5.Wheeling25,680
6.Martinsburg19,211
7.Weirton18,133
8.Fairmont18,035
9.Beckley16,373
10.Clarksburg15,562
11.Teays Valley14,151
13.Cheat Lake10,902
14.Vienna10,321
15.St. Albans10,210
16.Cross Lanes9,671
17.Bridgeport9,427
18.Charles Town9,329
19.Bluefield9,158
20.Moundsville7,659
21.Oak Hill7,629
22.Hurricane7,367
23.Dunbar7,050
24.Pea Ridge6,988
26.Elkins6,622
27.Nitro6,270
28.Brookhaven6,212
29.Princeton5,578
30.Buckhannon5,054
32.Keyser4,777
33.Grafton4,529
35.Westover4,086
36.Pinch4,037
38.Ravenswood3,790
39.Weston3,736
40.Lewisburg3,721
41.Sissonville3,593
42.Shannondale3,465
44.Welch3,389
45.Shady Spring3,381
Section 03

Metropolitan & micropolitan areas

Metropolitan areas (7)
1.Huntington365,965
2.Charleston200,170
3.Morgantown141,995
4.Wheeling134,089
5.Weirton112,468
6.Beckley109,940
7.Parkersburg87,264
Micropolitan areas (4)
1.Bluefield96,138
2.Clarksburg88,142
3.Fairmont55,584
4.Elkins26,882

Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.

Frequently asked

How many people live in West Virginia?

West Virginia has about 1,778,373 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in West Virginia?

The typical household in West Virginia earns about $59,608 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is West Virginia expensive?

In West Virginia, the median home is worth about $162,600, and the typical rent is about $872 a month.

How educated are people in West Virginia?

About 24.1% of adults age 25 and over in West Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in West Virginia?

About 16.7% of people in West Virginia live below the federal poverty line.

Has West Virginia grown since 1990?

Yes, West Virginia has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 15,104 residents, a change of about -1 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 →