Benwood, WV

Census Place

2024 Population

1,230

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

51.6

9.55% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

29.3%

17.6% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$43,636

10.5% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$74,900

Population & Diversity

Benwood, WV is home to a population of 1.23k people, from which 99.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.894% of Benwood, WV residents were born outside of the country (11 people).

In 2024, there were 23.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.12k people) in Benwood, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 47 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 23 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Benwood, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Benwood, WV was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Benwood, WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.12k ± 186
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
47 ± 45
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
23 ± 18

0.569%

Hispanic Population

7 people

0.569% of the people in Benwood, WV are hispanic (7 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Benwood, 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

0.894%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

11 people

1.02%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

12 people

As of 2024, 0.894% of Benwood, WV residents (11 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 Benwood, WV was 1.02%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
91 ± 69
Gulf War (1990s)
7 ± 16
Korea
3 ± 14

Benwood, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 13 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Benwood, WV employs 659 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Benwood, WV were Retail Trade (145 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (116 people), and Construction (84 people), and the highest paying industries were Educational Services ($63,333), Public Administration ($51,667), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,333).

Employment

Occupations

659

2024 Value

± 147

2.65%

1 Year growth

± 30.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Benwood, WV grew at a rate of 2.65%, from 642 employees to 659 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Benwood, WV, are Production Occupations (91 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (83 people), and Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations (65 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Benwood, 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

659

2024 Value

± 147

2.65%

1 Year growth

± 30.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Benwood, WV grew at a rate of 2.65%, from 642 employees to 659 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Benwood, WV, are Retail Trade (145 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (116 people), and Construction (84 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Benwood, WV, though some of these residents may live in Benwood, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$29,531

Median earning men ± $9,461

$29,875

Median earning women ± $3,446

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($65,625), Wholesale Trade ($53,750), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($51,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($43,229), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($43,194), and Retail Trade ($31,071).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Benwood, WV was $74,900 in 2024, which is 0.225 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $90,400 to $74,900, a 17.1% decrease. The homeownership rate in Benwood, WV is 63.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Benwood, WV have an average commute time of 20.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Benwood, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$74,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$3,980

$405

Median Property Taxes

±$121

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

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

Rent vs Own

63.3%

Homeownership

2024

44%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.3% of the housing units in Benwood, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 67.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Benwood, 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.

$43,636

Median Household Income

± $12,515

640

Number of Households

± 131

In 2024, the median household income of the 640 households in Benwood, WV grew to $43,636 from the previous year's value of $39,474.

The following chart displays the households in Benwood, 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Benwood, 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 (77.5%)
Carpooled (14.4%)
Walked (5.63%)

In 2024, 77.5% of workers in Benwood, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.4%) and those who walked to work (5.63%).

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

20.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Benwood, WV have a shorter commute time (20.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.69% of the workforce in Benwood, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

29.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Benwood, WV (360 out of 1.23k 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 Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 75+ and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Benwood, 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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