Beckley, WV

Census Place

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2024 Population

16,818

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.3

8.46% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

28.9%

7.15% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$45,826

14.7% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$158,000

6.18% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

6,515

1.76% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Beckley, 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.

99.2% of the residents in Beckley, WV are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Beckley, WV are West Virginia University Institute of Technology (156 degrees awarded in 2024), Academy of Careers and Technology (102 degrees), and Valley College-Beckley (86 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Beckley, WV was $158,000, and the homeownership rate was 55.4%.

Most people in Beckley, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Beckley, WV was 2 cars per household.

United States West Virginia Raleigh County, WV Beckley, WV Raleigh, Fayette Counties PUMA, WV

Population & Diversity

Beckley, WV is home to a population of 16.8k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.04% of Beckley, WV residents were born outside of the country (512 people).

In 2024, there were 4.29 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (11.9k people) in Beckley, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.77k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 926 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2024 Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.2% of Beckley, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Beckley, WV was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Beckley, WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
11.9k ± 582
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.77k ± 477
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
926 ± 345

3.57%

Hispanic Population

600 people

3.57% of the people in Beckley, WV are hispanic (600 people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
2,614 ± 1,254 people
Philippines
2,231 ± 1,159 people
India
2,211 ± 1,154 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of West Virginia was Mexico, the natal country of 2,614 West Virginia residents, followed by Philippines with 2,231 and India with 2,211.

Foreign-Born Population

3.04%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

512 people

3.12%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

529 people

As of 2024, 3.04% of Beckley, WV residents (512 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 Beckley, WV was 3.12%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
272 ± 181
Gulf War (2001-)
128 ± 75
Gulf War (1990s)
57 ± 37

Beckley, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.13 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Health

97% of the population of Beckley, WV has health coverage, with 34.3% on employee plans, 24.4% on Medicaid, 11.7% on Medicare, 23.8% on non-group plans, and 2.73% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in West Virginia see 1,319 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,319 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1705 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 506 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.5% under 18 years, 20.1% between 18 and 34 years, 34.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

3.04%

Uninsured

34.3%

Employer Coverage

24.4%

Medicaid

11.7%

Medicare

23.8%

Non-Group

2.73%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Beckley, WV declined by 7.38% from 3.28% to 3.04%.

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

Economy

The economy of Beckley, WV employs 6.52k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Beckley, WV were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,490 people), Retail Trade (958 people), and Educational Services (927 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($150,227), Utilities ($116,154), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($94,741).

Employment

Occupations

6.52k

2024 Value

± 697

−1.76%

1 Year decline

± 15.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Beckley, WV declined at a rate of −1.76%, from 6.63k employees to 6.52k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Beckley, WV, are Sales & Related Occupations (804 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (697 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (669 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Beckley, 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

6.52k

2024 Value

± 697

−1.76%

1 Year decline

± 15.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Beckley, WV declined at a rate of −1.76%, from 6.63k employees to 6.52k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Beckley, WV, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,490 people), Retail Trade (958 people), and Educational Services (927 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Beckley, WV, though some of these residents may live in Beckley, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,179

Median earning men ± $13,098

$30,996

Median earning women ± $2,320

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($150,227), Information ($110,647), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($94,009).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($73,750), Public Administration ($55,107), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($32,175).

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.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in West Virginia went to Donald J. Trump with 70% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (28.1%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.17%).

Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice are the senators currently representing the state of West Virginia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

West Virginia is currently represented by 2 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Beckley, WV. Showing the available data for West Virginia.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (70%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (28.1%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.17%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in West Virginia went to Donald J. Trump with 70% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (28.1%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.17%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in West Virginia for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from West Virginia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.

Shelley Moore Capito

Senator from West Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Jim Justice

Senator from West Virginia

Assumed office on January 14, 2025
Inauguration delayed in order to finish his term as Governor of West Virginia.

Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice are the senators currently representing West Virginia.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in West Virginia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Beckley, WV awarded 344 degrees. The student population of Beckley, WV in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 754 male students and 857 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Beckley, WV are White (252 and 76.4%), Unknown (42 and 12.7%), Black or African American (20 and 6.06%), and Two or More Races (9 and 2.73%).

The largest universities in Beckley, WV by number of degrees awarded are West Virginia University Institute of Technology (156 and 45.3%), Academy of Careers and Technology (102 and 29.7%), and Valley College-Beckley (86 and 25%).

The most popular majors in Beckley, WV are Medical Assistant (58 and 16.9%), Truck, Bus, & Commercial Vehicle Operator & Instructor (30 and 8.72%), and Registered Nursing (28 and 8.14%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $8,424 for in-state students and $21,072 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Beckley, WV, the percentage of applicants admitted was 36.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 52.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 1,611 (46.8% men and 53.2% 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 2024 there were 1,611 students enrolled in Beckley, WV, 46.8% men and 53.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,288 records, of which 55.6% were women and 44.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration
17 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
16 degrees awarded
General Psychology
15 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Beckley, WV was Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration with 17 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

West Virginia University Institute of Technology
156 degrees awarded
Academy of Careers and Technology
102 degrees awarded
Valley College-Beckley
86 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was West Virginia University Institute of Technology with 156 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 141 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Beckley, WV, which is 0.695 times less than the 203 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 252 degrees mean that there were 6 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 42 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

Public, 4-year or above ($8,424) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($950) 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 Beckley, WV was $158,000 in 2024, which is 0.475 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $148,800 to $158,000, a 6.18% increase. The homeownership rate in Beckley, WV is 55.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Beckley, WV have an average commute time of 16.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Beckley, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$158,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,759

$3,907

Median Property Taxes

±$455

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 Beckley, WV the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

55.4%

Homeownership

2024

68%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 55.4% of the housing units in Beckley, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 53.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Beckley, 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.

$45,826

Median Household Income

± $8,661

7.05k

Number of Households

± 715

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.05k households in Beckley, WV grew to $45,826 from the previous year's value of $39,939.

The following chart displays the households in Beckley, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

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

0.443

2024 Wage GINI in West Virginia

0.443

2023 Wage GINI in West Virginia

In 2024, the income inequality in West Virginia was 0.443 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0426% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for West Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (79.7%)
Worked At Home (7.27%)
Carpooled (4.55%)

In 2024, 79.7% of workers in Beckley, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.27%) and those who carpooled to work (4.55%).

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

16.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Beckley, WV have a shorter commute time (16.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.461% of the workforce in Beckley, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

28.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Beckley, WV (4.63k out of 16k 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 35 - 44, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Females 18 - 24.

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

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.