Beckley, WV

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Add Comparison
2023 Population
113,653
1.04% 1-year decline
US Senator
Shelley Moore Capito
Republican Party
US Senator
Jim Justice
Republican Party
2023 Median Age
43.3
0% 1-year change
2023 Poverty Rate
20.6%
5.67% 1-year decrease
2023 Median Household Income
$52,345
7.13% 1-year growth
2023 Median Property Value
$123,400
3.96% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
41,753
1.92% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Beckley, WV had a population of 114k people with a median age of 43.3 and a median household income of $52,345. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Beckley, WV declined from 114,848 to 113,653, a −1.04% decrease and its median household income grew from $48,859 to $52,345, a 7.13% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Beckley, WV are White (Non-Hispanic) (88.8%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (5.95%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (2.58%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (0.531%), and White (Hispanic) (0.512%).

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.

99.5% of the residents in Beckley, WV are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Beckley, WV are New River Community and Technical College (318 degrees awarded in 2023), West Virginia University Institute of Technology (166 degrees), and Academy of Careers and Technology (106 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Beckley, WV was $123,400, and the homeownership rate was 75%.

Most people in Beckley, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Beckley, WV was 2 cars per household.

Beckley, WV borders Bluefield, WV-VA and Charleston, WV.

United StatesWest Virginia

Population & Diversity

Beckley, WV is home to a population of 114k people, from which 99.5% are citizens. As of 2023, 0.991% of Beckley, WV residents were born outside of the country (1.13k people).

In 2023, there were 14.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (101k people) in Beckley, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.77k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.93k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%
2023 Citizenship
99.6%
2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.5% of Beckley, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Beckley, WV was 99.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

View Data
Save Image

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Beckley, WV
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    101k ± 290
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    6.77k ± 467
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    2.93k ± 444
1.57%
Hispanic Population
1.79k people

In 2023, there were 14.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (101k people) in Beckley, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.77k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.93k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

1.57% of the people in Beckley, WV are hispanic (1.79k people).

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

View Data
Save Image

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for West Virginia.
Most Common Origin
  1. India
    2,277 ± 1,171 people
  2. Mexico
    2,211 ± 1,154 people
  3. 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.

View Data
Save Image

Foreign-Born Population

0.991%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
1.13k people
0.858%
2022 Foreign-Born Population
985 people

As of 2023, 0.991% of Beckley, WV residents (1.13k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Beckley, WV was 0.858%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

View Data
Save Image

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    2,115 ± 303
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,379 ± 329
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    948 ± 206

Beckley, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.53 times greater than any other conflict.

View Data
Save Image

Economy

The economy of Beckley, WV employs 41.8k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Beckley, WV were Health Care & Social Assistance (7,950 people), Retail Trade (5,984 people), and Educational Services (3,854 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($89,773), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($86,316), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($63,796).

Employment

Occupations

41.8k
2023 Value
± 1,893
1.92%
1 Year growth
± 6.2%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Beckley, WV grew at a rate of 1.92%, from 41k employees to 41.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Beckley, WV, are Sales & Related Occupations (5,187 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,451 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (3,063 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Beckley, WV.

View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image

Industries

Employment by Industries

41.8k
2023 Value
± 1,893
1.92%
1 Year growth
± 6.2%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Beckley, WV grew at a rate of 1.92%, from 41k employees to 41.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Beckley, WV, are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,950 people), Retail Trade (5,984 people), and Educational Services (3,854 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.

View Data
Save Image

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,366
Median earning men ± $2,674
$33,383
Median earning women ± $2,051

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($87,303), Information ($81,544), and Public Administration ($59,715).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($74,375), Information ($57,955), and Wholesale Trade ($53,000).

View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 177
    Other Services (except Public Administration)
  2. 164
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  3. 136
    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.

View Data
Save Image

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $403k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $180k
    Retail Trade
  3. $170k
    Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

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

View Data
Save Image

Education

In 2023, universities in Beckley, WV awarded 743 degrees. The student population of Beckley, WV in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,350 male students and 1,942 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Beckley, WV are White (620 and 85.6%), followed by Unknown (36 and 4.97%), Two or More Races (28 and 3.87%), and Black or African American (22 and 3.04%).

The largest universities in Beckley, WV by number of degrees awarded are New River Community and Technical College (318 and 42.8%), West Virginia University Institute of Technology (166 and 22.3%), and Academy of Careers and Technology (106 and 14.3%).

The most popular majors in Beckley, WV are Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (73 and 9.83%), Medical Assistant (63 and 8.48%), and Biblical Studies (56 and 7.54%).

The median tuition costs in Beckley, WV are $16,280 for private four year colleges, and $8,064 and $20,160 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Beckley, WV, the percentage of applicants admitted was 63.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 52.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 3,292 (41% men and 59% 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.

View Data
Save Image

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 3,292 students enrolled in Beckley, WV, 41% men and 59% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,803 records, of which 60.1% were women and 39.9% men.

View Data
Save Image

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training
    73 degrees awarded
  2. Medical Assistant
    58 degrees awarded
  3. General Cosmetology
    40 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Beckley, WV was Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training with 73 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Beckley, WV according to their major.

View Data
Save Image

Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. New River Community and Technical College
    318 degrees awarded
  2. West Virginia University Institute of Technology
    166 degrees awarded
  3. Academy of Careers and Technology
    106 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was New River Community and Technical College with 318 degrees awarded.

View Data
Save Image

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 313 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Beckley, WV, which is 0.728 times less than the 430 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 620 degrees mean that there were 17.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 36 degrees awarded.

View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($16,280) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,950) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

View Data
Save Image

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

In 2023, 0.711% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.616% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

View Data
Save Image

Educational Attainment

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

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (563k), Some college (280k), and Secondary Education (213k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

View Data
Save Image

Housing & Living

The median property value in Beckley, WV was $123,400 in 2023, which is 0.407 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $118,700 to $123,400, a 3.96% increase. The homeownership rate in Beckley, WV is 75%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in Beckley, WV have an average commute time of 25.7 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

$123,400
Median Property Value 2023
±$5,696
$33,888
Median Property Taxes
±$1,484

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.

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Rent vs Own

75%
Homeownership
2023
63%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2023

In 2023, 75% of the housing units in Beckley, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 75.3%.

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

View Data
Save Image

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$52,345
Median Household Income
± $3,012
45.2k
Number of Households
± 1,851

In 2023, the median household income of the 45.2k households in Beckley, WV grew to $52,345 from the previous year's value of $48,859.

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 $75k - $100k range.

View Data
Save Image

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Beckley, 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.

View Data
Save Image

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023
  1. Drove Alone (81.5%)
  2. Carpooled (8.96%)
  3. Worked At Home (6.46%)

In 2023, 81.5% of workers in Beckley, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.96%) and those who worked at home (6.46%).

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.

View Data
Save Image

Commute Time

25.7 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Beckley, WV have a shorter commute time (25.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 3.19% 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.

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

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.

View Data
Save Image

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Beckley, WV (22.4k out of 109k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 55 - 64.

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.

View Data
Save Image

Health

94.1% of the population of Beckley, WV has health coverage, with 34.6% on employee plans, 25.2% on Medicaid, 13.9% on Medicare, 18.1% on non-group plans, and 2.27% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in West Virginia see 1,319 patients per year on average, which represents a 3.61% increase from the previous year (1,273 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1705 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 558 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.
1,319 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in West Virginia

Primary care physicians in West Virginia see an average of 1,319 patients per year. This represents a 3.61% increase from the previous year (1,273 patients).

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

View Data
Save Image

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.9% under 18 years, 17% between 18 and 34 years, 38% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

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

View Data
Save Image

Uninsured People

5.94%
Uninsured
34.6%
Employer Coverage
25.2%
Medicaid
13.9%
Medicare
18.1%
Non-Group
2.27%
Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Beckley, WV declined by 0.372% from 5.96% to 5.94%.

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.

View Data
Save Image