Fayette County, West Virginia Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Fayette 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 Fayette County, West Virginia. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Fayette County, West Virginia. The estimated population of Fayette County, West Virginia is 41,056 people, with a median age of 44.4.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
41,056
 -4.71% -7.95%
2020
43,087
 -1.12% -
2019
43,576
 -1.25% -
2018
44,126
 -1.07% -
2017
44,602
 - -

Population of Fayette 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
92.2%
92.5%
 -0.32%
Black/African American
5%
5.1%
 -1.96%
Native
0.2%
0.3%
 -33.33%
Hispanic
1.3%
1.1%
 +18.18%
Asian
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.4%
0.8%
 +75.00%
Other
0%
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 Fayette 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 44.4 -0.22% 43.3 -0.69% 45.3 -0.66%
2020 44.5 +0.45% 43.6 +1.87% 45.6 0%
2019 44.3 +1.14% 42.8 +0.94% 45.6 +1.11%
2018 43.8 +1.15% 42.4 +0.47% 45.1 +0.22%
2017 43.3 - 42.2 - 45 -

The median age of Fayette 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 2,467 -8.27% 2,655 -11.9% 2,267 2,346
10 to 19 2,811 -8% 2,331 -5.92% 2,579 2,194
20 to 29 2,681 -10.95% 2,250 -13.56% 2,395 1,957
30 to 39 2,626 -9.69% 2,656 -18.92% 2,376 2,178
40 to 49 3,101 -12.34% 2,540 +5.82% 2,719 2,683
50 to 59 3,039 -8.95% 3,295 -21.93% 2,775 2,625
60 to 69 3,646 -12.8% 3,327 -5.1% 3,197 3,151
70+ 2,033 +18.85% 3,144 +1.38% 2,437 3,177

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Fayette County, West Virginia is $45,988.00.

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 Fayette County.

  • Under 25
    $32,699.00
  • 25 to 44
    $58,802.00
  • 45 to 64
    $47,202.00
  • 65 and over
    $37,624.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Fayette 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 Fayette County, West Virginia is currently $56,050.00.

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.

1.56% of households in Fayette 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 Fayette County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    29.02%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    24.98%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    19.34%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.66%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    11.58%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1.86%
  • $200,000 or more
    1.56%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Fayette County is $22,677.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Fayette 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 Fayette 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
    6.42%
  • Bachelor's degree
    20.07%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.27%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    60.09%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.15%

Employment

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

The total population of Fayette County over the age of 16 is 33,641.

Of those people, a total of 46.50% 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 Fayette County is 43.00%.

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 1,971 39.30% 26.60%
20 to 24 years 2,156 72.00% 10.60%
25 to 29 years 2,196 71.40% 5.10%
30 to 34 years 2,208 73.80% 6.40%
35 to 44 years 4,958 67.50% 3.90%
45 to 54 years 5,392 59.80% 9.80%
55 to 59 years 2,798 50.90% 4.50%
60 to 64 years 3,276 36.90% 3.40%
65 to 74 years 5,284 15.00% 4.00%
75 years and over 3,402 3.10% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Fayette 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 31,310 46.40% 7.40%
Black or African American 1,653 43.90% 9.10%
American Indian and Alaska Native 68 64.70% 0.00%
Asian 14 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 18 0.00% 0.00%
Other 14 64.30% 0.00%
Two or more races 564 58.90% 2.10%
Hispanic or Latino 345 58.00% 0.50%
Not Hispanic or Latino 31,085 46.40% 7.40%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Fayette 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 Fayette County is 14,469, with median earnings of $32,405.00.

Women in Fayette County, West Virginia earning approximately 80.10% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 14,469 $32,405.00
Male 8,035 $36,065.00
Female 6,434 $28,892.00

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 740 $58,466.00
Business and Financial 478 $41,429.00
Computer and Mathematical 142 $55,526.00
Architecture and Engineering 179 $53,194.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 56 $67,763.00
Community and Social Service 392 $34,732.00
Legal 88 $36,917.00
Educational and Library 795 $38,225.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 214 $36,429.00
Healthcare Practitioners 1,125 $54,688.00
Healthcare Support 541 $21,294.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 186 $45,256.00
Law Enforcement 384 $56,486.00
Food Preparation and Serving 1,107 $11,094.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 684 $21,000.00
Personal Care and Service 489 $21,038.00
Sales 1,653 $27,451.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,521 $30,496.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 9 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 1,065 $32,201.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 756 $45,625.00
Production 738 $45,278.00
Transportation and Material Moving 559 $36,544.00

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 457 $66,107.00 283 $51,542.00
Business and Financial 243 $53,090.00 235 $39,883.00
Computer and Mathematical 126 $55,614.00 16 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 171 $53,565.00 8 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 40 $67,500.00 16 $68,000.00
Community and Social Service 187 $34,940.00 205 $34,107.00
Legal 17 $107,813.00 71 $36,208.00
Educational and Library 159 $32,697.00 636 $38,765.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 123 $39,625.00 91 $35,670.00
Healthcare Practitioners 78 $70,000.00 1,047 $54,330.00
Healthcare Support 90 $33,625.00 451 $19,837.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 161 $36,792.00 25 $0.00
Law Enforcement 351 $57,679.00 33 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 533 $7,293.00 574 $15,385.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 498 $21,813.00 186 $15,370.00
Personal Care and Service 179 $24,034.00 310 $14,278.00
Sales 826 $35,842.00 827 $17,798.00
Office and Administrative Support 381 $37,159.00 1,140 $29,902.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 9 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 1,065 $32,201.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 756 $45,625.00 0 $0.00
Production 629 $53,090.00 109 $20,156.00
Transportation and Material Moving 483 $47,953.00 76 $28,808.00

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 15,836 households in Fayette County, with an average household size of 2.5 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 10,543 families in Fayette County with an average family size of 3.09 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 7,939 952 1,652 5,293
Average Household Size 3.04 3.77 3.44 1.18
Total Families 7,939 952 1,652 0
Average Household Size 3.01 3.4 3.27 0

Poverty

Of the 10,543 families in Fayette County, 14.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Fayette 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 19,392 housing units in Fayette County, West Virginia.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 15,836 81.66%
Vacant 3,556 18.34%

13.58% of the total 19,392 housing units in Fayette County are rental units. This is approximately 2,634 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 12,286 are occupied by the owner - or 63.36% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Fayette County is $652.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Fayette 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
    916
  • Less than $500
    809
  • $500 to $999
    1,517
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    308
  • $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 Fayette County is $95,700.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    2,148
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    4,385
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    2,291
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,744
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    986
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    538
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    189
  • $1,000,000 or more
    5

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    3,773
  • 1940 to 1949
    1,653
  • 1950 to 1959
    1,962
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,552
  • 1970 to 1979
    3,494
  • 1980 to 1989
    2,668
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,995
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,739
  • 2010 to 2013
    556
  • 2014 or later
    0

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 Fayette County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    1,617
  • 1 vehicle available
    5,178
  • 2 vehicles available
    5,764
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,277

Commuting to Work

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

30.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Fayette 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
    636
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,468
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,524
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,619
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,834
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    714
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,348
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    496
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    602
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    1,549
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    1,249
  • 90 or more minutes
    477

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Fayette 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 Fayette County, West Virginia

We have data for 30 places in Fayette County, West Virginia. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.