Barbour County, West Virginia Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Barbour County, West Virginia, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Barbour County, West Virginia. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Barbour County, West Virginia. The estimated population of Barbour County, West Virginia is 15,600 people, with a median age of 42.7.

We can look at the total population in Barbour County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
15,600
 -5.7% -7.09%
2020
16,543
 -0.54% -
2019
16,633
 -0.58% -
2018
16,730
 -0.36% -
2017
16,790
 - -

Population of Barbour County, West Virginia by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
93%
95.7%
 -2.82%
Black/African American
1.1%
0.9%
 +22.22%
Native
0.4%
0.4%
 0.00%
Hispanic
1.1%
0.9%
 +22.22%
Asian
0.3%
0.7%
 -57.14%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
4%
1.4%
 +185.71%
Other
0.2%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Barbour County, West Virginia by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 42.7 +1.67% 41.7 -0.24% 43.4 +3.09%
2020 42 +0.72% 41.8 +1.95% 42.1 -0.47%
2019 41.7 0% 41 -1.2% 42.3 +0.95%
2018 41.7 +1.96% 41.5 +1.47% 41.9 +2.2%
2017 40.9 - 40.9 - 41 -

The median age of Barbour County, West Virginia gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 988 -5.98% 812 -10.47% 923 730
10 to 19 1,099 0.48% 1,180 -6.48% 1,098 1,100
20 to 29 1,037 -11.1% 1,227 -19.91% 921 997
30 to 39 832 -4.91% 1,010 -16.67% 786 840
40 to 49 1,065 -12% 931 +5.97% 941 984
50 to 59 1,138 -4.83% 1,038 -6.93% 1,076 952
60 to 69 1,086 +3.34% 1,339 -2.42% 1,120 1,289
70+ 920 -12.1% 1,088 -5.12% 813 1,030

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Barbour County, West Virginia is $42,260.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Barbour County.

  • Under 25
    $22,273.00
  • 25 to 44
    $53,020.00
  • 45 to 64
    $51,987.00
  • 65 and over
    $39,079.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Barbour County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Barbour County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Barbour County, West Virginia is currently $58,445.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

1.89% of households in Barbour County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Barbour County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    30.60%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    28.09%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.05%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    7.38%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    10.55%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    4.44%
  • $200,000 or more
    1.89%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Barbour County is $23,616.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Barbour County by the total population of Barbour County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Barbour County, West Virginia, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Barbour County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    5.80%
  • Bachelor's degree
    12.15%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    8.94%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    70.69%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.43%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Barbour County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Barbour County over the age of 16 is 12,761.

Of those people, a total of 50.30% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Barbour County is 45.30%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 1,012 29.90% 17.20%
20 to 24 years 1,093 75.00% 18.40%
25 to 29 years 825 74.30% 4.90%
30 to 34 years 792 67.70% 11.00%
35 to 44 years 1,750 76.30% 22.80%
45 to 54 years 1,962 78.50% 1.80%
55 to 59 years 1,075 51.10% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 1,127 51.60% 2.10%
65 to 74 years 1,899 6.90% 3.80%
75 years and over 1,226 0.70% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Barbour County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 11,963 51.10% 10.20%
Black or African American 146 28.80% 45.20%
American Indian and Alaska Native 30 83.30% 0.00%
Asian 44 100.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 69 44.90% 0.00%
Two or more races 509 31.00% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 93 46.20% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 11,952 51.20% 10.20%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Barbour County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Barbour County is 5,777, with median earnings of $31,709.00.

Women in Barbour County, West Virginia earning approximately 56.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 5,777 $31,709.00
Male 2,884 $40,872.00
Female 2,893 $23,194.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 424 $85,417.00
Business and Financial 49 $111,058.00
Computer and Mathematical 55 $58,750.00
Architecture and Engineering 58 $85,568.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 43 $34,028.00
Community and Social Service 33 $19,063.00
Legal 80 $60,893.00
Educational and Library 272 $37,381.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 8 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 471 $40,104.00
Healthcare Support 503 $23,194.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 28 $4,833.00
Law Enforcement 84 $43,704.00
Food Preparation and Serving 375 $10,916.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 300 $14,206.00
Personal Care and Service 95 $4,417.00
Sales 535 $14,974.00
Office and Administrative Support 627 $25,426.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 18 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 524 $53,359.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 393 $63,890.00
Production 347 $33,068.00
Transportation and Material Moving 286 $40,890.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 225 $66,650.00 199 $96,141.00
Business and Financial 18 $0.00 31 $0.00
Computer and Mathematical 49 $59,821.00 6 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 58 $85,568.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 27 $93,015.00 16 $0.00
Community and Social Service 33 $19,063.00 0 $0.00
Legal 49 $7,067.00 31 $0.00
Educational and Library 68 $39,231.00 204 $33,077.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00 8 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 57 $39,427.00 414 $40,333.00
Healthcare Support 25 $0.00 478 $22,407.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 28 $4,833.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 84 $43,704.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 100 $11,569.00 275 $9,980.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 102 $24,375.00 198 $13,832.00
Personal Care and Service 0 $0.00 95 $4,417.00
Sales 228 $23,750.00 307 $14,453.00
Office and Administrative Support 116 $31,806.00 511 $24,767.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 18 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 524 $53,359.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 393 $63,890.00 0 $0.00
Production 275 $35,972.00 72 $10,769.00
Transportation and Material Moving 274 $41,096.00 12 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 5,813 households in Barbour County, with an average household size of 2.59 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 3,733 families in Barbour County with an average family size of 3.22 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 2,763 300 670 2,080
Average Household Size 3.23 3.18 3.86 1.26
Total Families 2,763 300 670 0
Average Household Size 3.21 2.57 3.56 0

Poverty

Of the 3,733 families in Barbour County, 16.10% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Barbour County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 7,212 housing units in Barbour County, West Virginia.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 5,813 80.60%
Vacant 1,399 19.40%

15.53% of the total 7,212 housing units in Barbour County are rental units. This is approximately 1,120 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 4,361 are occupied by the owner - or 60.47% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Barbour County is $612.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Barbour County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    332
  • Less than $500
    315
  • $500 to $999
    654
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    151
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Barbour County is $106,600.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Barbour County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    670
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,333
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    820
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    669
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    561
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    233
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    69
  • $1,000,000 or more
    6

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Barbour County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Barbour County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,511
  • 1940 to 1949
    377
  • 1950 to 1959
    572
  • 1960 to 1969
    489
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,390
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,011
  • 1990 to 1999
    840
  • 2000 to 2009
    692
  • 2010 to 2013
    305
  • 2014 or later
    25

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Barbour County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    395
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,936
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,124
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,358

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Barbour County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Barbour County that commute to work in a particular way.

26.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Barbour County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    139
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    915
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    700
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    351
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    705
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    436
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    602
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    215
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    347
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    436
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    373
  • 90 or more minutes
    161

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Barbour County, West Virginia in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Barbour County, West Virginia

We have data for 7 places in Barbour County, West Virginia. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.