Fairmont, WV

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

55,909

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.3

0.248% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

13.6%

0.0679% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$67,370

0.247% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$166,700

1.46% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

25,851

0.466% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Fairmont, 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 Fairmont, WV are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Fairmont, WV are Fairmont State University (877 degrees awarded in 2023) and Pierpont Community and Technical College (806 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Fairmont, WV was $166,700, and the homeownership rate was 76.7%.

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

Fairmont, WV borders Clarksburg, WV and Morgantown, WV.

United States West Virginia

Population & Diversity

Fairmont, WV is home to a population of 55.9k people, from which 99.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 0.85% of Fairmont, WV residents were born outside of the country (475 people).

In 2024, there were 34.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (50.9k people) in Fairmont, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.49k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 1.42k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.5%

2023 Citizenship

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

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Fairmont, WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
50.9k ± 240
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.49k ± 174
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.42k ± 155

1.64%

Hispanic Population

919 people

1.64% of the people in Fairmont, WV are hispanic (919 people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA 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

0.85%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

475 people

0.785%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

440 people

As of 2024, 0.85% of Fairmont, WV residents (475 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 Fairmont, WV was 0.785%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,073 ± 190
Gulf War (2001-)
659 ± 196
Gulf War (1990s)
435 ± 107

Fairmont, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.63 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Fairmont, WV employs 25.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Fairmont, WV were Health Care & Social Assistance (5,010 people), Retail Trade (2,695 people), and Educational Services (2,619 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($97,842), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($97,724), and Utilities ($75,385).

Employment

Occupations

25.9k

2024 Value

± 1,176

−0.466%

1 Year decline

± 6.45%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fairmont, WV declined at a rate of −0.466%, from 26k employees to 25.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Fairmont, WV, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,291 people), Management Occupations (2,403 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (2,148 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Fairmont, 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

25.9k

2024 Value

± 1,176

−0.466%

1 Year decline

± 6.45%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fairmont, WV declined at a rate of −0.466%, from 26k employees to 25.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Fairmont, WV, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,010 people), Retail Trade (2,695 people), and Educational Services (2,619 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Fairmont, WV, though some of these residents may live in Fairmont, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,005

Median earning men ± $3,081

$34,919

Median earning women ± $1,688

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($97,827), Public Administration ($73,892), and Information ($73,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($71,250), Manufacturing ($68,092), and Public Administration ($61,364).

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

104
Other Services (except Public Administration)
66
Retail Trade
66
Construction

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

$107k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$86.7k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
$75.1k
Retail Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Fairmont, WV awarded 1,683 degrees. The student population of Fairmont, WV in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,185 male students and 3,061 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Fairmont, WV are White (1,519 and 90.3%), Two or More Races (57 and 3.39%), Black or African American (50 and 2.97%), and Asian (25 and 1.49%).

The largest universities in Fairmont, WV by number of degrees awarded are Fairmont State University (877 and 52.1%) and Pierpont Community and Technical College (806 and 47.9%).

The most popular majors in Fairmont, WV are Other Engineering Technologies & Engineering-Related Fields (300 and 17.8%), Registered Nursing (179 and 10.6%), and General Studies (174 and 10.3%).

The median tuition cost in Fairmont, WV for a public four year colleges is $6,468 for in-state students and $16,174 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Fairmont, WV, the percentage of applicants admitted was 99.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 34.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 5,246 (41.7% men and 58.3% 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 5,246 students enrolled in Fairmont, WV, 41.7% men and 58.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,613 records, of which 59.5% were women and 40.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Criminal Justice - Safety Studies
54 degrees awarded
Kinesiology & Exercise Science
47 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
58 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Fairmont, WV was Criminal Justice - Safety Studies with 54 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Fairmont State University
877 degrees awarded
Pierpont Community and Technical College
806 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Fairmont State University with 877 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 825 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Fairmont, WV, which is 0.962 times less than the 858 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 1,519 degrees mean that there were 26.6 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 57 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 ($6,468) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,986) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,000) 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 Fairmont, WV was $166,700 in 2024, which is 0.501 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $164,300 to $166,700, a 1.46% increase. The homeownership rate in Fairmont, WV is 76.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Fairmont, WV have an average commute time of 25.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Fairmont, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$166,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,353

$17,897

Median Property Taxes

±$880

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 Fairmont, WV the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

76.7%

Homeownership

2024

64%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.7% of the housing units in Fairmont, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 75.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Fairmont, 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.

$67,370

Median Household Income

± $4,114

23.3k

Number of Households

± 1,052

In 2024, the median household income of the 23.3k households in Fairmont, WV declined from $67,370 from the previous year's value of $67,537.

The following chart displays the households in Fairmont, 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 Fairmont, 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 (74.6%)
Worked At Home (11%)
Carpooled (10.1%)

In 2024, 74.6% of workers in Fairmont, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11%) and those who carpooled to work (10.1%).

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

25.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Fairmont, WV have a shorter commute time (25.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.65% of the workforce in Fairmont, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Fairmont, WV (7.4k out of 54.5k 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 25 - 34 and then Males 25 - 34.

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

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
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.

Health

93.3% of the population of Fairmont, WV has health coverage, with 46.9% on employee plans, 18.8% on Medicaid, 14.9% on Medicare, 10.8% on non-group plans, and 1.83% 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, 50.2% were men and 49.8% 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 0% change from the previous year (1,319 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.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.2% under 18 years, 22.7% between 18 and 34 years, 36.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.75%

Uninsured

46.9%

Employer Coverage

18.8%

Medicaid

14.9%

Medicare

10.8%

Non-Group

1.83%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Fairmont, WV grew by 5.3% from 6.41% to 6.75%.

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

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