Fairmont, WV

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population

56,042

0.27% 1-year decline

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

40.4

0.248% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

13.6%

8.99% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$67,537

12.6% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$164,300

11.3% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

25,972

2.21% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Fairmont, WV had a population of 56k people with a median age of 40.4 and a median household income of $67,537. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Fairmont, WV declined from 56,194 to 56,042, a −0.27% decrease and its median household income grew from $59,974 to $67,537, a 12.6% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Fairmont, WV are White (Non-Hispanic) (91.5%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.58%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (2.59%), Two+ (Hispanic) (0.853%), and White (Hispanic) (0.537%).

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 2023, the median property value in Fairmont, WV was $164,300, and the homeownership rate was 75.8%.

Most people in Fairmont, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.8 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 56k people, from which 99.5% are citizens. As of 2023, 0.785% of Fairmont, WV residents were born outside of the country (440 people).

In 2023, there were 25.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (51.3k people) in Fairmont, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.01k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 1.45k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2023 Citizenship

99.7%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.5% of Fairmont, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Fairmont, WV was 99.7%, 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)
51.3k ± 230
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
2.01k ± 301
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.45k ± 169

1.57%

Hispanic Population

878 people

1.57% of the people in Fairmont, WV are hispanic (878 people).

The following chart shows the 7 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

Mexico
2,064 ± 1,115 people
Germany
1,923 ± 1,076 people
China
1,815 ± 1,045 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of West Virginia was Mexico, the natal country of 2,064 West Virginia residents, followed by Germany with 1,923 and China with 1,815.

Foreign-Born Population

0.785%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

440 people

0.779%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

438 people

As of 2023, 0.785% of Fairmont, WV residents (440 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Fairmont, WV was 0.779%, 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
1,181 ± 209
Gulf War (2001-)
669 ± 182
Gulf War (1990s)
539 ± 132

Fairmont, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.77 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Fairmont, WV employs 26k people. The largest industries in Fairmont, WV are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,930 people), Retail Trade (3,018 people), and Educational Services (2,616 people), and the highest paying industries are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($95,407), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($92,480), and Manufacturing ($66,909).

Males in West Virginia have an average income that is 1.33 times higher than the average income of females, which is $50,743. The income inequality in West Virginia (measured using the Gini index) is 0.449, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

26k

2023 Value

± 1,178

2.21%

1 Year growth

± 6.3%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Fairmont, WV grew at a rate of 2.21%, from 25.4k employees to 26k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Fairmont, WV, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,747 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,342 people), and Management Occupations (2,056 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 false.

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

26k

2023 Value

± 1,178

2.21%

1 Year growth

± 6.3%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Fairmont, WV grew at a rate of 2.21%, from 25.4k employees to 26k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Fairmont, WV, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,930 people), Retail Trade (3,018 people), and Educational Services (2,616 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

$53,212

Median earning men ± $2,896

$33,337

Median earning women ± $2,196

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($95,301), Information ($71,328), and Manufacturing ($68,297).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Manufacturing ($60,833), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($60,417), and Public Administration ($59,575).

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.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or 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%), followed by 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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.661% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.559% of women were in the same situation.

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

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 2022 were High School or Equivalent (549k), Some college (279k), and Secondary Education (210k).

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Fairmont, WV was $164,300 in 2023, which is 0.542 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $147,600 to $164,300, a 11.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Fairmont, WV is 75.8%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Fairmont, WV have an average commute time of 24.8 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.

Median household income in Fairmont, WV is $67,537. In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Fairmont, WV was Jefferson County, WV with a value of $95,523, followed by Putnam County, WV and Berkeley County, WV, with respective values of $77,871 and $77,329.

Housing

Property

$164,300

Median Property Value 2023

±$7,036

$17,411

Median Property Taxes

±$829

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 range.

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

Rent vs Own

75.8%

Homeownership

2023

63.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 75.8% of the housing units in Fairmont, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 75.3%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Fairmont, WV was Jefferson County, WV with a value of $95,523, followed by Putnam County, WV and Berkeley County, WV, with respective values of $77,871 and $77,329.

The following map shows all of the counties in Fairmont, WV colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$67,537

Median Household Income

± $3,405

23k

Number of Households

± 983

In 2023, the median household income of the 23k households in Fairmont, WV grew to $67,537 from the previous year's value of $59,974.

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.

0.449

2022 Wage GINI in West Virginia

0.447

2021 Wage GINI in West Virginia

In 2022, the income inequality in West Virginia was 0.449 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.523% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for West Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (75.7%)
Carpooled (10.5%)
Worked At Home (9.25%)

In 2023, 75.7% of workers in Fairmont, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.5%) and those who worked at home (9.25%).

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

24.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Fairmont, WV have a shorter commute time (24.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.11% 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 (7.41k out of 54.6k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 55 - 64.

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

93.6% of the population of Fairmont, WV has health coverage, with 47.8% on employee plans, 19% on Medicaid, 14.7% on Medicare, 10.1% on non-group plans, and 1.98% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in West Virginia see 1273 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.236% increase from the previous year (1270 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1713 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 616 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

1,273 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in West Virginia

Primary care physicians in West Virginia see an average of 1,273 patients per year. This represents a 0.236% increase from the previous year (1,270 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 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.3% under 18 years, 22.5% between 18 and 34 years, 36.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.41%

Uninsured

47.8%

Employer Coverage

19%

Medicaid

14.7%

Medicare

10.1%

Non-Group

1.98%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Fairmont, WV declined by 10.6% from 7.16% to 6.41%.

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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