county

Fayette County, WV

Demographic and economic profile of Fayette County, WV, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Fayette County's economy reflects a rural Appalachian profile, with a labor force participation rate of just 47.6% and unemployment at 7.1%, pointing to significant workforce constraints within a county of roughly 40,000 residents where only 16.1% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Worker earnings median $36,050 against a median household income of $53,194, and housing costs remain low — median home value of $104,200 and median gross rent of $777/month support a 77.7% homeownership rate. The county has shed 9.4% of its population over five years, carries an 18.8% poverty rate, and records a GDP per capita of $28,935, figures that collectively indicate a contracting, cost-affordable labor market with limited educational attainment.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

39,987

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$53,194

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

44.7 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-9.4% since 2018

Fayette County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone36,269 (91.8%)
  • Black or African American Alone1,641 (4.2%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races935 (2.4%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race356 (0.9%)
  • Some Other Race Alone287 (0.7%)
  • Asian Alone21 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish82
  2. 2.Other Indo-European37
  3. 3.Arabic32
  4. 4.German or other West Germanic24
  5. 5.Other Asian and Pacific Island23

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

20.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

57.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

22.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

0.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

2,629

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$28,935

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$27,091

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

7.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

18.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance3,961
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)2,384
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services1,438
  4. 4.Construction (Group)1,299
  5. 5.Other Services, Except Public Administration (Group)1,054

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations4,380
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations3,328
  3. 3.Service Occupations3,133
  4. 4.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations2,023
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,846

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.08×)481
  2. 2.Public Administration (LQ 1.55×)1,063
  3. 3.Retail Trade (LQ 1.44×)2,276
  4. 4.Construction (LQ 1.33×)1,332
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.32×)1,678

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$104,200

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$777/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

77.7%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,9991,685 (13.6%)
  • $50,000 to $59,9991,053 (8.5%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9991,023 (8.3%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999986 (8.0%)
  • $90,000 to $99,999811 (6.5%)
  • $60,000 to $69,999736 (5.9%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

16.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

86.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

47.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$36,050

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

30.1 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

9.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone11,337 (78.1%)
  • Carpooled1,625 (11.2%)
  • Worked At Home964 (6.6%)
  • Walked412 (2.8%)
  • Other158 (1.1%)
  • Taxi21 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.