CensusEasy
STATE · ADMITTED 1863 · 2000 CENSUS

West Virginia

1,808,344 residents · 55 counties · 439 cities · 24,038 sq mi · 546 census tracts
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The short version

West Virginia is home to 1,808,344 people. 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. At a median age of 38.9, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Median home value sits at $66,000. 75% of homes are owner-occupied. The median household earns $29,696, about 30% below the national median.

WV
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,808,344
+1%since 1990
from 1,793,477 in 1990
1990 – 2024
Median age
38.9
+10%since 1990
from 35.4 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Land area
24,038 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
1.8M1.8M1.8M1.8M1.9M19902000201020202024West Virginia
20241.8M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2000
Under 55.6%(101,805)
US avg: 6.8%
5 to 96.1%(111,150)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 146.4%(116,182)
US avg: 7.3%
15 to 196.9%(125,578)
US avg: 7.2%
20 to 246.6%(120,109)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.7%(229,094)
US avg: 14.2%
35 to 4415.1%(272,249)
US avg: 16%
45 to 5415%(270,466)
US avg: 13.4%
55 to 6410.2%(184,816)
US avg: 8.6%
65 to 748.2%(148,463)
US avg: 6.5%
75 to 845.3%(96,653)
US avg: 4.4%
85 and over1.8%(31,779)
US avg: 1.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$29,696
+8%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $20,795 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$16,477
+57%since 1990
from $10,520 in 1990
US average: $21,522
Poverty rate
17.9%
−1.8 ptssince 1990
from 19.7% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$66,000
+5%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $47,600 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$401
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 1990
from $303 in 1990
US average: $602
Owner-occupied
75.2%
+1.1 ptssince 1990
from 74.1% in 1990
24.8% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990
White, non-Hispanic96.2%(1,726,023)
Black3.1%(55,398)
Hispanic / Latino0.4%(7,892)
Asian0.4%(7,505)
2000
White, non-Hispanic94.6%(1,709,966)
Black3.1%(56,825)
Hispanic / Latino0.7%(12,279)
Asian0.5%(9,356)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

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
14.8%
+2.5 ptssince 1990
from 12.3% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
75.2%
+9.2 ptssince 1990
from 66.0% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
Graduate degree
5.9%
+1.1 ptssince 1990
from 4.8% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
18.2 min
−11%since 1990
from 20.5 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status
Men 15+
Never married25.4%(180,631)
Married61.3%(435,306)
Widowed3.2%(22,847)
Divorced10.1%(71,659)
Women 15+
Never married19.1%(146,644)
Married56.3%(432,801)
Widowed13.9%(106,709)
Divorced10.8%(82,704)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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 1,808,344 residents according to the 2000 Census.

What is the median household income in West Virginia?

The typical household in West Virginia earns about $29,696 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 $66,000, and the typical rent is about $401 a month.

How educated are people in West Virginia?

About 14.8% 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 17.9% of people in West Virginia live below the federal poverty line.

Has West Virginia grown since 1990?

Yes, West Virginia has grown since 1990. The population has added about 14,867 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 →