Smithers, WV

Census Place

Add Comparison
2024 Population
712
US Senator
Shelley Moore Capito
Republican Party
US Senator
Jim Justice
Republican Party
2024 Poverty Rate
25.7%
28.4% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$45,417
40.9% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$76,500
5.08% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
297
17.9% 1-year growth

About

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

In 2024, the median property value in Smithers, WV was $76,500, and the homeownership rate was 75.9%.

Most people in Smithers, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Smithers, WV was 3 cars per household.

United StatesWest VirginiaFayette County, WVKanawha County, WVBeckley, WVCharleston, WVKanawha County PUMA, WVRaleigh, Fayette Counties PUMA, WV

Population & Diversity

Smithers, WV is home to a population of 712 people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.81% of Smithers, WV residents were born outside of the country (20 people).

In 2024, there were 6.54 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (549 people) in Smithers, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 84 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic) and 34 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%
2024 Citizenship
100%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Smithers, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Smithers, WV was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Smithers, 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 Smithers, WV
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    549 ± 215
  2. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic)
    84 ± 147
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    34 ± 26
14.2%
Hispanic Population
101 people

In 2024, there were 6.54 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (549 people) in Smithers, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 84 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic) and 34 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

14.2% of the people in Smithers, WV are hispanic (101 people).

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

View Data
Save Image

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place 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

2.81%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
20 people
1.35%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
12 people

As of 2024, 2.81% of Smithers, WV residents (20 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 Smithers, WV was 1.35%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

View Data
Save Image

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Korea
    16 ± 30
  2. Vietnam
    8 ± 20

Smithers, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Korea, 2 times greater than any other conflict.

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

View Data
Save Image

Economy

The economy of Smithers, WV employs 297 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Smithers, WV were Public Administration (124 people), Construction (39 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (36 people), and the highest paying industries were Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($54,688), Manufacturing ($47,083), and Health Care & Social Assistance ($35,000).

Employment

Occupations

297
2024 Value
± 181
17.9%
1 Year growth
± 86.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Smithers, WV grew at a rate of 17.9%, from 252 employees to 297 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Smithers, WV, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (97 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (42 people), and Management Occupations (38 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Smithers, 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

297
2024 Value
± 181
17.9%
1 Year growth
± 86.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Smithers, WV grew at a rate of 17.9%, from 252 employees to 297 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Smithers, WV, are Public Administration (124 people), Construction (39 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (36 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Smithers, WV, though some of these residents may live in Smithers, 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

$8,173
Median earning men ± $32,901
$33,549
Median earning women ± $5,604

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($47,083).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($35,000) and Public Administration ($34,151).

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Smithers, WV was $76,500 in 2024, which is 0.23 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $72,800 to $76,500, a 5.08% increase. The homeownership rate in Smithers, WV is 75.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Smithers, WV have an average commute time of 16.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Smithers, WV is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$76,500
Median Property Value 2024
±$16,865
$236
Median Property Taxes
±$96

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

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

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Rent vs Own

75.9%
Homeownership
2024
58.7%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 75.9% of the housing units in Smithers, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 60.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Smithers, 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.
$45,417
Median Household Income
± $30,463
311
Number of Households
± 101

In 2024, the median household income of the 311 households in Smithers, WV grew to $45,417 from the previous year's value of $32,237.

The following chart displays the households in Smithers, 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.

View Data
Save Image

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Smithers, 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 2024
  1. Drove Alone (47.1%)
  2. Worked At Home (37.4%)
  3. Walked (10.8%)

In 2024, 47.1% of workers in Smithers, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (37.4%) and those who walked to work (10.8%).

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

16.6 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Smithers, WV have a shorter commute time (16.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Smithers, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Car Ownership

3 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Smithers, WV distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Smithers, WV have 3 cars.

View Data
Save Image

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

25.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Smithers, WV (183 out of 712 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 65 - 74, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 25 - 34.

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

90.9% of the population of Smithers, WV has health coverage, with 26.5% on employee plans, 29.4% on Medicaid, 23.7% on Medicare, 6.6% on non-group plans, and 4.63% 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, 46.1% were men and 53.9% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 11.7% under 18 years, 20.9% between 18 and 34 years, 31.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 36% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.1% were men and 53.9% were women.

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

View Data
Save Image

Uninsured People

9.13%
Uninsured
26.5%
Employer Coverage
29.4%
Medicaid
23.7%
Medicare
6.6%
Non-Group
4.63%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Smithers, WV grew by 19.6% from 7.63% to 9.13%.

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

View Data
Save Image