Wood County, WV

County

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    2024 Poverty Rate
    14.7%
    0.318% 1-year decrease

    About

    None of the households in Wood County, 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.

    The largest universities in Wood County, WV are West Virginia University at Parkersburg (691 degrees awarded in 2024) and Wood County Technical Center-Practical Nursing (18 degrees).

    Most people in Wood County, WV N/A, and the average commute time was 20.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Wood County, WV was 2 cars per household.

    United StatesWest VirginiaParkersburg-Vienna, WV

    Population & Diversity

    As of 2024, 1.03% of Wood County, WV residents were born outside of the country (859 people).

    In 2024, there were 41.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (78.1k people) in Wood County, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.87k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 936 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    Diversity

    Race and Ethnicity

    The 3 largest ethnic groups in Wood County, WV
    1. White (Non-Hispanic)
      78.1k ± 259
    2. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
      1.87k ± 231
    3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
      936 ± 193
    1.48%
    Hispanic Population
    1.23k people

    In 2024, there were 41.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (78.1k people) in Wood County, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.87k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 936 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    1.48% of the people in Wood County, WV are hispanic (1.23k people).

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

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    Global Diversity

    The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for West Virginia.
    Most Common Origin
    1. Mexico
      2,614 ± 1,254 people
    2. Philippines
      2,231 ± 1,159 people
    3. 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.

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    Foreign-Born Population

    1.03%
    2024 Foreign-Born Population
    859 people
    1.03%
    2023 Foreign-Born Population
    860 people

    As of 2024, 1.03% of Wood County, WV residents (859 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 Wood County, WV was 1.03%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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    Health

    N/A% of the population of Wood County, WV has health coverage, with N/A% on employee plans, N/A% on Medicaid, N/A% on Medicare, N/A% on non-group plans, and N/A% on military or VA plans.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

    Location of Health Services Facilities

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    Health Indicators

    Clinical Care

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 7.82% in Wood County, WV.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Wood County, WV.

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    Economy

    Employment

    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.

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    Industries

    Establishments by Size

    The industries with the most establishments
    1. 157
      Other Services (except Public Administration)
    2. 126
      Retail Trade
    3. 102
      Health Care and Social Assistance

    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.

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    Payroll by Industry Sector

    The industries with the highest total annual payroll
    1. $349k
      Health Care and Social Assistance
    2. $184k
      Manufacturing
    3. $177k
      Retail Trade

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

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    Education

    The student population of Wood County, WV in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,071 male students and 1,688 female students.

    Most students graduating from Universities in Wood County, WV are White (660 and 94%), Black or African American (17 and 2.42%), Hispanic or Latino (10 and 1.42%), and Two or More Races (8 and 1.14%).

    The largest universities in Wood County, WV by number of degrees awarded are West Virginia University at Parkersburg (691 and 97.5%) and Wood County Technical Center-Practical Nursing (18 and 2.54%).

    The most popular majors in Wood County, WV are General Studies (119 and 16.8%), General Business (94 and 13.3%), and Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (93 and 13.1%).

    The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $5,376 for in-state students and $9,324 for out-of-state students.

    Admissions & Enrollments

    Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

    Measure

    In 2024 in Wood County, WV, the percentage of applicants admitted was 75%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 100%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 2,759 (38.8% men and 61.2% 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.

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    Enrollments by Gender and Races

    In 2024 there were 2,759 students enrolled in Wood County, WV, 38.8% men and 61.2% women.

    By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in N/A with N/A records, of which N/A% were women and N/A% men.

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    Completions

    Concentrations

    Most Common
    1. General Business
      68 degrees awarded
    2. Registered Nursing
      52 degrees awarded
    3. General Studies
      40 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the most common concentation for N/A recipients in Wood County, WV was General Business with 68 degrees awarded.

    This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a N/A from schools in Wood County, WV according to their major.

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    Universities

    Gender
    Race
    Largest Universities by degrees awarded
    1. West Virginia University at Parkersburg
      691 degrees awarded
    2. Wood County Technical Center-Practical Nursing
      18 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was West Virginia University at Parkersburg with 691 degrees awarded.

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    Student Diversity

    In 2024, 227 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Wood County, WV, which is 0.471 times less than the 482 female students who received degrees in the same year.

    In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 660 degrees mean that there were 38.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 17 degrees awarded.

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    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.

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    Housing & Living

    People in Wood County, WV have an average commute time of 20.8 minutes, and they N/A. Car ownership in Wood County, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

    In 2025, 9.45% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Wood County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.55%.

    Equity

    Wage Distribution

    The closest comparable wage GINI for Wood County, 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.

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    Transportation

    Commute Time

    20.8 minutes
    Average Travel Time

    Using averages, employees in Wood County, WV have a shorter commute time (20.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, N/A% of the workforce in Wood County, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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    Car Ownership

    2 cars
    Average Number

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

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    Poverty

    Severe Housing Problems

    In 2025, 9.45% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Wood County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.55%.

    The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

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    Poverty & Diversity

    14.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Wood County, WV (12.1k out of 82.1k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 35 - 44.

    The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Wood County, WV is N/A, followed by N/A and N/A.

    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.

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    Children in Poverty

    In 2025, 18.7% of the children was living in poverty in Wood County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7%.

    The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

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