Lester, WV

Census Place

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2023 Population

492

11.8% 1-year growth

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

50.4

0.8% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

50.8%

13.5% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$30,000

6.67% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$81,500

7.07% 1-year decline

2023 Employed Population

113

7.62% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Lester, WV had a population of 492 people with a median age of 50.4 and a median household income of $30,000. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Lester, WV grew from 440 to 492, a 11.8% increase and its median household income grew from $28,125 to $30,000, a 6.67% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Lester, WV are White (Non-Hispanic) (80.1%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (12.2%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (7.32%), Two+ (Hispanic) (0.407%), and White (Hispanic) (0%).

None of the households in Lester, 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.

100% of the residents in Lester, WV are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Lester, WV was $81,500, and the homeownership rate was 75.8%.

Most people in Lester, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 48.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Lester, WV was 2 cars per household.

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

Population & Diversity

Lester, WV is home to a population of 492 people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2023, 0% of Lester, WV residents were born outside of the country (0 people).

In 2023, there were 6.57 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (394 people) in Lester, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 60 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 36 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%

2023 Citizenship

100%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 100% of Lester, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Lester, WV was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lester, WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
394 ± 189
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
60 ± 79.1
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
36 ± 59

0.407%

Hispanic Population

2 people

0.407% of the people in Lester, WV are hispanic (2 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Lester, 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
2,064 ± 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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
10 ± 25
Vietnam
2 ± 19
Gulf War (1990s)
0 ± 18

Lester, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 5 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Lester, WV employs 113 people. The largest industries in Lester, WV are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (46 people), Educational Services (20 people), and Public Administration (14 people), and the highest paying industries are Public Administration ($55,417), Total ($47,250), and Educational Services ($32,045).

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

113

2023 Value

± 112

7.62%

1 Year growth

± 129%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lester, WV grew at a rate of 7.62%, from 105 employees to 113 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lester, WV, are Construction & Extraction Occupations (42 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (21 people), and Transportation Occupations (14 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lester, 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

113

2023 Value

± 112

7.62%

1 Year growth

± 129%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lester, WV grew at a rate of 7.62%, from 105 employees to 113 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lester, WV, are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (46 people), Educational Services (20 people), and Public Administration (14 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lester, WV, though some of these residents may live in Lester, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,500

Median earning men ± $62,989

$46,875

Median earning women ± $19,646

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are .

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($38,750).

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.

Education

Completions

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.

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 Lester, WV was $81,500 in 2023, which is 0.269 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $87,700 to $81,500, a 7.07% decrease. The homeownership rate in Lester, WV is 75.8%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Lester, WV have an average commute time of 48.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lester, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$81,500

Median Property Value 2023

±$37,062

$135

Median Property Taxes

±$73

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

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

Rent vs Own

75.8%

Homeownership

2023

35.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 75.8% of the housing units in Lester, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 74.1%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

The following map shows all of the places in Lester, 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.

$30,000

Median Household Income

± $25,254

178

Number of Households

± 77

In 2023, the median household income of the 178 households in Lester, WV grew to $30,000 from the previous year's value of $28,125.

The following chart displays the households in Lester, 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 Lester, 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 (85%)
Carpooled (7.96%)
Worked At Home (7.08%)

In 2023, 85% of workers in Lester, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.96%) and those who worked at home (7.08%).

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

48.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lester, WV have a longer commute time (48.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 40% of the workforce in Lester, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

50.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lester, WV (250 out of 492 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 6 - 11, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 45 - 54.

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

95.9% of the population of Lester, WV has health coverage, with 29.1% on employee plans, 23.2% on Medicaid, 8.54% on Medicare, 33.5% on non-group plans, and 1.63% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Raleigh County, WV see 1257 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.632% decrease from the previous year (1265 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1317 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 450 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Raleigh County, WV.

1,257 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Raleigh County, WV

Primary care physicians in Raleigh County, WV see an average of 1,257 patients per year. This represents a 0.632% decrease from the previous year (1,265 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30.7% under 18 years, 13% between 18 and 34 years, 34.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.07%

Uninsured

29.1%

Employer Coverage

23.2%

Medicaid

8.54%

Medicare

33.5%

Non-Group

1.63%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lester, WV declined by 5.86% from 4.32% to 4.07%.

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

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