county

Monroe County, WV

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

AI Overview

Monroe County is a small, rural West Virginia county with a population of 12,401 that has contracted 7.9% over five years, reflecting broader demographic pressures common to the region. The labor market is constrained, with a 50.0% participation rate, 10.0% unemployment, and median worker earnings of $30,252, while just 15.4% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Housing costs are low — median home value of $146,100 and median gross rent of $677/month — against a median household income of $56,750, though a 15.7% poverty rate and GDP per capita of $18,741 signal limited overall economic output.

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

Population

12,401

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$56,750

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

46.2 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-7.9% since 2018

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

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone11,690 (94.4%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races302 (2.4%)
  • Black or African American Alone180 (1.5%)
  • Some Other Race Alone113 (0.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race101 (0.8%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish30
  2. 2.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic2

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

20.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

54.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

24.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

0.1%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

748

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$18,741

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$27,648

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

10.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

15.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,339
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)921
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services381
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)369
  5. 5.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities317

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations1,406
  2. 2.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,202
  3. 3.Service Occupations953
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations625
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations428

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.17×)158
  2. 2.Manufacturing (LQ 1.74×)789
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 1.25×)396
  4. 4.Other Services (LQ 1.20×)259
  5. 5.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.19×)1,272

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$146,100

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$677/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

86.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,999666 (16.6%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999524 (13.1%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999493 (12.3%)
  • $125,000 to $149,999397 (9.9%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999241 (6.0%)
  • $50,000 to $59,999235 (5.9%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

15.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

87.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

50.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$30,252

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

37.4 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

6.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone3,572 (82.0%)
  • Carpooled388 (8.9%)
  • Worked At Home237 (5.4%)
  • Walked60 (1.4%)
  • Public Transit37 (0.8%)
  • Bicycle37 (0.8%)

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.