Upshur County, WV

County

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2024 Population

23,712

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.3

0.714% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

19.2%

5.06% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$54,338

4.78% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$170,800

6.29% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

9,057

1.1% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Upshur County, WV reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.4% of the residents in Upshur County, WV are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Upshur County, WV are West Virginia Wesleyan College (265 degrees awarded in 2023) and Fred W Eberle Technical Center (134 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Upshur County, WV was $170,800, and the homeownership rate was 80.7%.

Most people in Upshur County, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Upshur County, WV was 2 cars per household.

Upshur County, WV borders Barbour County, WV, Harrison County, WV, Lewis County, WV, Randolph County, WV, and Webster County, WV.

United States West Virginia

Population & Diversity

Upshur County, WV is home to a population of 23.7k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 0.911% of Upshur County, WV residents were born outside of the country (216 people).

In 2024, there were 30.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (21.8k people) in Upshur County, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 723 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) and 292 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%

2024 Citizenship

99.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.4% of Upshur County, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Upshur County, WV was 99.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Upshur County, WV compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Upshur County, WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
21.8k ± 310
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
723 ± 288
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
292 ± 94

1.48%

Hispanic Population

351 people

1.48% of the people in Upshur County, WV are hispanic (351 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Upshur County, WV as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for West Virginia.

Most Common Origin

India
2,277 ± 1,171 people
Mexico
2,211 ± 1,154 people
Germany
1,987 ± 1,094 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of West Virginia was India, the natal country of 2,277 West Virginia residents, followed by Mexico with 2,211 and Germany with 1,987.

Foreign-Born Population

0.911%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

216 people

0.749%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

178 people

As of 2024, 0.911% of Upshur County, WV residents (216 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Upshur County, WV was 0.749%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Upshur County, WV compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
589 ± 200
Gulf War (2001-)
266 ± 114
Gulf War (1990s)
193 ± 98

Upshur County, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.21 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Upshur County, WV.

Economy

The economy of Upshur County, WV employs 9.06k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Upshur County, WV were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,738 people), Educational Services (1,039 people), and Retail Trade (829 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($95,492), Utilities ($88,906), and Finance & Insurance ($74,141).

Employment

Occupations

9.06k

2024 Value

± 724

−1.1%

1 Year decline

± 11.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Upshur County, WV declined at a rate of −1.1%, from 9.16k employees to 9.06k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Upshur County, WV, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (993 people), Management Occupations (840 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (731 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Upshur County, WV.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in West Virginia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

9.06k

2024 Value

± 724

−1.1%

1 Year decline

± 11.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Upshur County, WV declined at a rate of −1.1%, from 9.16k employees to 9.06k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Upshur County, WV, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,738 people), Educational Services (1,039 people), and Retail Trade (829 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Upshur County, WV, though some of these residents may live in Upshur County, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,147

Median earning men ± $4,028

$36,208

Median earning women ± $4,262

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($75,893), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,550), and Wholesale Trade ($60,094).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,972), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($55,969), and Public Administration ($46,056).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.

Y-Axis

0.583%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 690k people employed in West Virginia. This represents a 0.583% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 15%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in West Virginia.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

38
Construction
34
Retail Trade
33
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$130k
Retail Trade
$73.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$57.2k
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Upshur County, WV awarded 399 degrees. The student population of Upshur County, WV in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 560 male students and 550 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Upshur County, WV are White (353 and 91.5%), Black or African American (17 and 4.4%), Hispanic or Latino (7 and 1.81%), and Two or More Races (7 and 1.81%).

The largest universities in Upshur County, WV by number of degrees awarded are West Virginia Wesleyan College (265 and 66.4%) and Fred W Eberle Technical Center (134 and 33.6%).

The most popular majors in Upshur County, WV are Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (49 and 12.3%), Truck, Bus, & Commercial Vehicle Operator & Instructor (36 and 9.02%), and General Business (32 and 8.02%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $32,166.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Upshur County, WV, the percentage of applicants admitted was 95%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 22.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 1,110 (50.5% men and 49.5% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 1,110 students enrolled in Upshur County, WV, 50.5% men and 49.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 779 records, of which 58.5% were women and 41.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business
18 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
17 degrees awarded
Criminal Justice - Safety Studies
17 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Upshur County, WV was General Business with 18 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Upshur County, WV according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

West Virginia Wesleyan College
265 degrees awarded
Fred W Eberle Technical Center
134 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was West Virginia Wesleyan College with 265 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 182 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Upshur County, WV, which is 0.839 times less than the 217 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 353 degrees mean that there were 20.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 17 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($32,166) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,328) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,500) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Upshur County, WV was $170,800 in 2024, which is 0.513 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $160,700 to $170,800, a 6.29% increase. The homeownership rate in Upshur County, WV is 80.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Upshur County, WV have an average commute time of 28.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Upshur County, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Upshur County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.64%.

Housing

Property

$170,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,091

$7,714

Median Property Taxes

±$601

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Upshur County, WV the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Upshur County, WV compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

80.7%

Homeownership

2024

69.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 80.7% of the housing units in Upshur County, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 79.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Upshur County, WV compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$54,338

Median Household Income

± $2,364

9.56k

Number of Households

± 741

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.56k households in Upshur County, WV grew to $54,338 from the previous year's value of $51,859.

The following chart displays the households in Upshur County, WV distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Upshur County, WV is from West Virginia.

0.443

2023 Wage GINI in West Virginia

0.449

2022 Wage GINI in West Virginia

In 2023, the income inequality in West Virginia was 0.443 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.39% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for West Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in West Virginia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in West Virginia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (80.6%)
Worked At Home (11%)
Carpooled (3.41%)

In 2024, 80.6% of workers in Upshur County, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11%) and those who carpooled to work (3.41%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

28.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Upshur County, WV have a longer commute time (28.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.93% of the workforce in Upshur County, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Upshur County, WV compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Upshur County, WV distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Upshur County, WV have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Upshur County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.64%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

19.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Upshur County, WV (4.29k out of 22.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Upshur County, WV is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 24.6% of the children was living in poverty in Upshur County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.4%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 56.7 in Upshur County, WV. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 0.144 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

93.7% of the population of Upshur County, WV has health coverage, with 40.6% on employee plans, 23.1% on Medicaid, 17.4% on Medicare, 10.1% on non-group plans, and 2.43% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Upshur County, WV see 1,699 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,699 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2156 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 905 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,699 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Upshur County, WV

Primary care physicians in Upshur County, WV see an average of 1,699 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,699 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Upshur County, WV in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.2% under 18 years, 19.7% between 18 and 34 years, 36.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.32%

Uninsured

40.6%

Employer Coverage

23.1%

Medicaid

17.4%

Medicare

10.1%

Non-Group

2.43%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Upshur County, WV declined by 13% from 7.27% to 6.32%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Upshur County, WV changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 61.6 in Upshur County, WV.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Upshur County, WV.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.2% in Upshur County, WV.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Upshur County, WV.