county

Mathews County, VA

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

AI Overview

Mathews County is a small, rural locality on Virginia's Middle Peninsula with a population of 8,517 that has contracted 3.2% over five years, reflecting an older resident base with a median age of 55.0. The labor force participation rate is notably low at 49.2%, and median worker earnings of $41,908 sit below the median household income of $75,880, suggesting a reliance on retirement or investment income among residents. Homeownership is high at 85.6% with a median home value of $348,800, while the 6.0% unemployment rate and a GDP per capita of $23,363 point to a limited local employment base.

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

Population

8,517

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$75,880

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

55.0 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-3.2% since 2018

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

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone7,326 (85.8%)
  • Black or African American Alone825 (9.7%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races152 (1.8%)
  • Some Other Race Alone120 (1.4%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race104 (1.2%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone7 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish178
  2. 2.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)36
  3. 3.German or other West Germanic21

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

15.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

52.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

32.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.6%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

640

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$23,363

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$45,767

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

6.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

7.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance686
  2. 2.Construction (Group)610
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)400
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services306
  5. 5.Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing266

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations1,382
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations691
  3. 3.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations668
  4. 4.Service Occupations468
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations249

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Construction (LQ 2.22×)528
  2. 2.Public Administration (LQ 1.46×)237
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.10×)331
  4. 4.Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate (LQ 0.99×)228
  5. 5.Retail Trade (LQ 0.97×)364

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$348,800

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,108/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

84.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,999622 (18.6%)
  • $500,000 to $749,999534 (15.9%)
  • $400,000 to $499,999499 (14.9%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999359 (10.7%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999339 (10.1%)
  • $750,000 to $999,999245 (7.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

30.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

91.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

49.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$41,908

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

30.7 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

2.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone2,421 (71.6%)
  • Worked At Home594 (17.6%)
  • Carpooled207 (6.1%)
  • Walked88 (2.6%)
  • Public Transit39 (1.2%)
  • Taxi22 (0.7%)

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.