County profile

Mathews County

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
8,540
Median household income
$75,880
People below poverty
7.8%
Median home value
$360,900

Income

The median income of households in Mathews County, Virginia was $75,880. An estimated 1.1% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 9.9% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 1.1
$10,000 to $14,999 5.5
$15,000 to $24,999 4.2
$25,000 to $34,999 7.1
$35,000 to $49,999 17.7
$50,000 to $74,999 13.2
$75,000 to $99,999 14.8
$100,000 to $149,999 17.8
$150,000 to $199,999 8.8
$200,000 or more 9.9

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

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Dollars
Male 66613
Female 57964

An estimated 61.1% of households received earnings. An estimated 50.5% of households received Social Security and an estimated 35.8 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $29,637. 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 Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 61.1
Social Security 50.5
Retirement income 35.8
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.4
Cash public assistance income 2.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 7.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 7.4% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 7.2% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 8.3% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 7.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 7.4
People 65 years old and over below poverty 7.2
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 8.3

In 2020-2024, 6.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 35.3% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 51% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 5.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024, 93.2% had health insurance coverage and 6.8% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 67% and public coverage was 50.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 1.8%.


In 2020-2024, Mathews County, Virginia had a total population of 8,540 - 4,305 (50.4%) females and 4,235 (49.6%) males. The median age was 55 years. An estimated 14.4% of the population was under 18 years, 22% was 19 to 44 years, 28.8% was 45 to 64 years, and 33.3 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 144 143
5 to 9 234 87
10 to 14 265 136
15 to 19 128 217
20 to 24 234 265
25 to 29 151 130
30 to 34 211 166
35 to 39 89 130
40 to 44 245 260
45 to 49 310 198
50 to 54 257 267
55 to 59 357 335
60 to 64 394 342
65 to 69 320 422
70 to 74 362 365
75 to 79 234 354
80 to 84 173 286
85 and over 127 202

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 85.8% were White; 9.7% were Black or African American; 10.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0% were Asian; 8.7% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.7% of the people in Mathews County, Virginia were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 84.6% of the people in Mathews County, Virginia were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 3,987 households in Mathews County, Virginia. The average household size was 2.11 people.

Married-couple households made up 49.5% of the households in Mathews County, Virginia while cohabiting couple households made up 7.8% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 24.7% of all households, while 18% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 20.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 36.3% of all households.

In Mathews County, Virginia, 15.7% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 51.3% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 49.5
Cohabiting Couples 7.8
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
24.7

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 59% of males and 51.9% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 25.6 21.5
Now married, except separated 59 51.9
Separated 2.4 1.9
Widowed 2.9 17.4
Divorced 10.1 7.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Mathews County, Virginia, 30 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 0% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.4% of the people living in Mathews County, Virginia were U.S. natives. 65.6% of the Mathews County, Virginia population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.6% of Mathews County, Virginia residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 80.7% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 95 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Mathews County, 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 Mathews County, Virginia.

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

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Percent
Latin America 71.4
Asia 0
Europe 28.6
Africa 0
Northern America 0
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024, 2.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.6% of people at least five years old; 1.2% 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 Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.6
Other Indo-European languages 0
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 92.3 % of the people at least one year old living in Mathews County, Virginia were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 92.3
Different house, same county 1.9
Different county, same state 5.7
Different state 0.1
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 90.8 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 28.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 9.2% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Mathews County, Virginia was 1,098 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 140 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 840. College or graduate school enrollment was 118.

Educational Attainment of People in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 9.2
High school diploma or equivalency 31.1
Some college, no degree 24.5
Associate's degree 6.8
Bachelor's degree 20
Graduate or professional degree 8.4

Disability

In Mathews County, Virginia, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 21.6 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 9% of people under 18 years old, to 17.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 34% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Mathews County, Virginia, 46.5 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 51.3% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 69.3% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 19% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 11.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 2,397 69.3
Federal, state, or local government workers 657 19
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 404 11.7

Industries

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

Percent by Industry in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.8
Construction 17.6
Manufacturing 7
Wholesale trade 2.5
Retail trade 11.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.8
Information 0.9
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 7.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.1
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 19.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.8
Other Services, except public administration 4.6
Public administration 7.7

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,382 40
Service occupations 468 13.5
Sales and office occupations 691 20
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 668 19.3
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 249 7.2

Commuting to Work

An estimated 71.6% of Mathews County, Virginia workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 6.1% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 30.7 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 71.6
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 6.1
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.2
Walked 2.6
Other means 0.9
Worked from home 17.6

In 2020-2024, Mathews County, Virginia had a total of 5,493 housing units. Of these housing units, 91.6% 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"). 3.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 4.9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 91.6
Apartments in multi-unit structures 3.6
Mobile homes 4.9
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

3.4% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 17.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Mathews County, Virginia was 6 rooms, and of these housing units 65.9% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Mathews County, Virginia had 3,987 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,506 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 84% while renters occupied 16%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.09 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.23.

4.8% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 16.5% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.1% and another 32.5% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

House Heating Fuel Used in Mathews County, Virginia in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 12.3
Electricity 78.3
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 4
All other fuels 4.9
No fuel used 0.5

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Mathews County, Virginia was $360,900.

Of the owner-occupied households, 48.6 % had a mortgage. 51.4% 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 $1,701 and for owners without a mortgage it was $445.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Mathews County, Virginia was $1,032. 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.