Hancock County, West Virginia Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Hancock 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 Hancock County, West Virginia. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Hancock County, West Virginia. The estimated population of Hancock County, West Virginia is 29,223 people, with a median age of 47.1.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
29,223
+0.36%
-2.33%
2020
29,118
 -0.9% -
2019
29,383
 -1% -
2018
29,680
 -0.81% -
2017
29,921
 - -

Population of Hancock 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
93.2%
94.1%
 -0.96%
Black/African American
2%
2.1%
 -4.76%
Native
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Hispanic
1.6%
1.4%
 +14.29%
Asian
0.4%
0.5%
 -20.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.3%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.5%
1.8%
 +38.89%
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 Hancock 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 47.1 +0.21% 45.6 -0.22% 48.6 +1.25%
2020 47 +0.43% 45.7 +1.11% 48 -0.62%
2019 46.8 +0.86% 45.2 +0.89% 48.3 +1.26%
2018 46.4 +0.65% 44.8 +0.22% 47.7 -0.62%
2017 46.1 - 44.7 - 48 -

The median age of Hancock 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 1,552 -7.7% 1,398 -0.29% 1,432 1,392
10 to 19 1,685 +7.8% 1,750 -22.24% 1,819 1,392
20 to 29 1,570 -4.51% 1,410 +10.01% 1,499 1,552
30 to 39 1,416 -5.34% 1,484 -5.69% 1,341 1,397
40 to 49 2,144 -3.59% 2,049 -3.46% 2,063 1,978
50 to 59 2,228 -7.11% 2,601 -13.15% 2,072 2,273
60 to 69 2,142 +5.48% 2,142 +5.5% 2,257 2,247
70+ 1,758 +5.71% 2,592 +2.49% 1,854 2,655

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Hancock County, West Virginia is $52,062.00.

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 Hancock County.

  • Under 25
    $48,438.00
  • 25 to 44
    $56,180.00
  • 45 to 64
    $60,576.00
  • 65 and over
    $40,175.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Hancock 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 Hancock County, West Virginia is currently $69,392.00.

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.

3.79% of households in Hancock 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 Hancock County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    23.24%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    24.52%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    19.28%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    12.93%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13.18%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.07%
  • $200,000 or more
    3.79%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Hancock County is $31,066.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Hancock 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 Hancock 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
    7.22%
  • Bachelor's degree
    19.24%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.94%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    59.88%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.72%

Employment

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

The total population of Hancock County over the age of 16 is 24,402.

Of those people, a total of 57.60% 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 Hancock County is 52.00%.

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 1,214 45.90% 64.30%
20 to 24 years 1,542 82.80% 12.40%
25 to 29 years 1,509 83.20% 10.40%
30 to 34 years 1,475 76.20% 7.30%
35 to 44 years 3,246 86.90% 10.60%
45 to 54 years 4,008 82.10% 6.00%
55 to 59 years 2,395 69.00% 2.30%
60 to 64 years 2,145 54.90% 2.60%
65 to 74 years 4,074 16.40% 6.00%
75 years and over 2,794 8.00% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Hancock 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 23,194 57.70% 9.50%
Black or African American 443 59.60% 9.80%
American Indian and Alaska Native 6 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 105 35.20% 10.80%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 96 0.00% 0.00%
Other 47 51.10% 0.00%
Two or more races 511 67.30% 8.10%
Hispanic or Latino 365 74.00% 4.10%
Not Hispanic or Latino 22,945 57.50% 9.60%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Hancock 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 Hancock County is 12,692, with median earnings of $37,211.00.

Women in Hancock County, West Virginia earning approximately 63.20% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 12,692 $37,211.00
Male 6,929 $45,827.00
Female 5,763 $28,964.00

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 732 $65,619.00
Business and Financial 423 $43,194.00
Computer and Mathematical 189 $39,837.00
Architecture and Engineering 154 $79,375.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 69 $43,750.00
Community and Social Service 168 $34,286.00
Legal 159 $137,574.00
Educational and Library 866 $37,120.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 199 $17,083.00
Healthcare Practitioners 1,100 $47,652.00
Healthcare Support 430 $30,069.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 284 $26,674.00
Law Enforcement 89 $44,830.00
Food Preparation and Serving 537 $21,078.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 563 $21,094.00
Personal Care and Service 355 $9,306.00
Sales 1,184 $26,272.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,276 $30,268.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 25 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 936 $54,261.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 596 $39,911.00
Production 996 $43,630.00
Transportation and Material Moving 771 $44,671.00

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 445 $73,224.00 287 $45,156.00
Business and Financial 136 $59,840.00 287 $29,792.00
Computer and Mathematical 88 $56,667.00 101 $38,351.00
Architecture and Engineering 112 $64,330.00 42 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 24 $68,056.00 45 $42,560.00
Community and Social Service 71 $38,295.00 97 $33,036.00
Legal 101 $138,995.00 58 $36,167.00
Educational and Library 205 $27,299.00 661 $40,968.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 45 $130,694.00 154 $16,742.00
Healthcare Practitioners 259 $91,776.00 841 $41,274.00
Healthcare Support 37 $6,779.00 393 $30,286.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 260 $26,794.00 24 $0.00
Law Enforcement 89 $44,830.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 221 $31,140.00 316 $20,259.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 426 $23,324.00 137 $15,625.00
Personal Care and Service 31 $0.00 324 $13,088.00
Sales 449 $30,250.00 735 $21,424.00
Office and Administrative Support 418 $56,563.00 858 $27,415.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 0 $0.00 25 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 936 $54,261.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 596 $39,911.00 0 $0.00
Production 830 $48,889.00 166 $29,113.00
Transportation and Material Moving 710 $45,710.00 61 $4,561.00

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 12,840 households in Hancock County, with an average household size of 2.26 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 7,720 families in Hancock County with an average family size of 2.88 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 5,886 616 1,218 5,120
Average Household Size 2.91 3.21 3.15 1.18
Total Families 5,886 616 1,218 0
Average Household Size 2.89 2.82 2.87 0

Poverty

Of the 7,720 families in Hancock County, 10.40% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Hancock 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 14,262 housing units in Hancock County, West Virginia.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 12,840 90.03%
Vacant 1,422 9.97%

22.00% of the total 14,262 housing units in Hancock County are rental units. This is approximately 3,138 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 9,291 are occupied by the owner - or 65.15% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Hancock County is $686.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Hancock 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
    411
  • Less than $500
    457
  • $500 to $999
    2,148
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    468
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    25
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    32
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    8

Property Value

The median value of a property in Hancock County is $97,800.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    1,277
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    3,532
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,794
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,114
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,070
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    401
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    51
  • $1,000,000 or more
    52

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    2,162
  • 1940 to 1949
    1,507
  • 1950 to 1959
    3,713
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,776
  • 1970 to 1979
    2,076
  • 1980 to 1989
    978
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,169
  • 2000 to 2009
    598
  • 2010 to 2013
    283
  • 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 Hancock County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    924
  • 1 vehicle available
    4,957
  • 2 vehicles available
    4,764
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    2,195

Commuting to Work

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

24.5 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Hancock 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
    428
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,597
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    2,396
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,696
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,172
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    690
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    957
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    312
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    457
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    1,107
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    886
  • 90 or more minutes
    216

Summary

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

We have data for 5 places in Hancock County, West Virginia. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.