County profile

Jackson County

West Virginia · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
27,705
Median household income
$58,845
People below poverty
18.5%
Median home value
$157,200

Income

The median income of households in Jackson County, West Virginia was $58,845. An estimated 8.4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 4.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 8.4
$10,000 to $14,999 6.3
$15,000 to $24,999 7.7
$25,000 to $34,999 6.9
$35,000 to $49,999 16.4
$50,000 to $74,999 15.3
$75,000 to $99,999 13.6
$100,000 to $149,999 13.5
$150,000 to $199,999 7.6
$200,000 or more 4.4

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 63592
Female 44461

An estimated 60% of households received earnings. An estimated 41.5% of households received Social Security and an estimated 31.5 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,174. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 60
Social Security 41.5
Retirement income 31.5
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 8.6
Cash public assistance income 4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 18.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 25.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 15% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 17.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 18.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 25.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 15
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 17.2

In 2020-2024, 19.2 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 35.1% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 31.1% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 20.4% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024, 93.8% had health insurance coverage and 6.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 63.1% and public coverage was 49.4%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 0.8%.


In 2020-2024, Jackson County, West Virginia had a total population of 27,705 - 13,855 (50%) females and 13,850 (50%) males. The median age was 43.4 years. An estimated 21.4% of the population was under 18 years, 27.8% was 19 to 44 years, 27.4% was 45 to 64 years, and 21.2 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 805 722
5 to 9 728 750
10 to 14 972 892
15 to 19 887 743
20 to 24 733 701
25 to 29 782 739
30 to 34 836 722
35 to 39 829 790
40 to 44 753 815
45 to 49 859 830
50 to 54 898 943
55 to 59 945 1197
60 to 64 1056 891
65 to 69 742 934
70 to 74 947 800
75 to 79 420 532
80 to 84 348 332
85 and over 310 522

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 95.9% were White; 0.1% were Black or African American; 17.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.4% were Asian; 0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 2.9% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 1.1% of the people in Jackson County, West Virginia were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 95.6% of the people in Jackson County, West Virginia were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 11,515 households in Jackson County, West Virginia. The average household size was 2.39 people.

Married-couple households made up 50.5% of the households in Jackson County, West Virginia while cohabiting couple households made up 4.9% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.2% of all households, while 18.5% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 17% were female householders living alone, for a total of 32.3% of all households.

In Jackson County, West Virginia, 24% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 37.1% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 50.5
Cohabiting Couples 4.9
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.5
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.2

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 54.4% of males and 51.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 26.8 22.6
Now married, except separated 54.4 51.7
Separated 1.1 0.9
Widowed 4.8 10.4
Divorced 12.9 14.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Jackson County, West Virginia, 475 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 75.8% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 97.9% of the people living in Jackson County, West Virginia were U.S. natives. 77.8% of the Jackson County, West Virginia population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 2.1% of Jackson County, West Virginia residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 48.1% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 59.2 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Jackson County, West Virginia come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Jackson County, West Virginia.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 10.8
Asia 38.2
Europe 48.6
Africa 0
Northern America 0
Oceania 2.4

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024, 2.2 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 0.9% of people at least five years old; 0.6% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 0.9
Other Indo-European languages 0.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.4
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 92.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Jackson County, West Virginia were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 92.8
Different house, same county 3.9
Different county, same state 1.9
Different state 0.7
Abroad 0.7

Education

In 2020-2024, 89.6 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 19.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 10.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Jackson County, West Virginia was 5,390 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 229 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 4,240. College or graduate school enrollment was 921.

Educational Attainment of People in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 10.4
High school diploma or equivalency 38.7
Some college, no degree 18.7
Associate's degree 12.7
Bachelor's degree 10.9
Graduate or professional degree 8.7

Disability

In Jackson County, West Virginia, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 22.1 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 7.2% of people under 18 years old, to 19.2% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 45.6% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Jackson County, West Virginia, 46.3 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 51.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 74.5% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 22.2% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 3.3 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 7,760 74.5
Federal, state, or local government workers 2,315 22.2
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 339 3.3

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Jackson County, West Virginia worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.5
Construction 5.1
Manufacturing 14.1
Wholesale trade 1.3
Retail trade 10.1
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.6
Information 0.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 6.3
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 28.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.4
Other Services, except public administration 3
Public administration 8.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 4,515 43.4
Service occupations 1,326 12.7
Sales and office occupations 1,692 16.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,041 10
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,840 17.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 78.7% of Jackson County, West Virginia workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28.6 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 78.7
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 2.4
Other means 0.4
Worked from home 10.5

In 2020-2024, Jackson County, West Virginia had a total of 12,867 housing units. Of these housing units, 71.6% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 7.9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 19.8% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 71.6
Apartments in multi-unit structures 7.9
Mobile homes 19.8
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.6

6.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 6.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Jackson County, West Virginia was 5.9 rooms, and of these housing units 71.5% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Jackson County, West Virginia had 11,515 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,352 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 78.6% while renters occupied 21.4%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.47 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.09.

3.3% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 20.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 11.2% and another 26.4% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Jackson County, West Virginia:

House Heating Fuel Used in Jackson County, West Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 40.7
Electricity 54.7
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0
All other fuels 4.3
No fuel used 0.5

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Jackson County, West Virginia was $157,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 42.4 % had a mortgage. 57.6% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,101 and for owners without a mortgage it was $409.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Jackson County, West Virginia was $716. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.