Barbour County, West Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Barbour County, WV Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 72% of counties in West Virginia
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Barbour County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 15,424 | 1,778,099 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 45.0 | 73.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.11% | -0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.8 | 40.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,152 | 728,564 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Barbour County declined by 0.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15,424 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Barbour County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.7% of residents. That is 1.9 points above West Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,353 21.7% +1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,768 17.9% -1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,167 20.5% -0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,156 20.5% -0.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below West Virginia, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.0% of the people living in Barbour County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% West Virginia 50.3%
- Men 49.0% West Virginia 49.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Barbour County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Barbour County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Barbour County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,294 | $59,640 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.60% | 4.26% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.5% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Barbour County is about 12% lower than in West Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Barbour County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $22,791 | $94,699 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $803 | $871 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.3% | 74.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Barbour County is about 2.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $803 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Barbour County spend about 54 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 225 hours, about 9.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Barbour County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.1 | 21.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 54.1 | 43.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 225 | 180 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,989 | $5,581 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 9.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,669 | 7,243 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,331 | 1,052 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
West Virginia:
Randolph County (16.4 min), Ohio County (17.0 min), Pocahontas County (17.2 min).
Slowest:
Hampshire County (40.3 min), Morgan County (35.8 min), Monroe County (33.7 min).
The average commute time in Barbour County is 27 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in West Virginia.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Barbour County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Barbour County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10.5% | 21.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
West Virginia:
Monongalia County (0.4), Ohio County (0.3), Jefferson County (0.3).
Lowest:
McDowell County (0.1), Lincoln County (0.2), Clay County (0.2).
Health
Barbour County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Barbour County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.9 | 76.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.4% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.1% | 25.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
West Virginia:
Monongalia County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8), Putnam County (0.8).
Lowest:
McDowell County (0.7), Lincoln County (0.8), Mingo County (0.8).
Barbour County, WV Compared With Nearby Counties
Barbour County, WV is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 15,424 residents against a local median of 27,576. Barbour County, WV's median home price, at $22,791, runs 69% below the $72,884 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 27.1 min against a local median of 20.2 min, 34% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 34% above the local median it puts Barbour County, WV at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $17,488 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Barbour County, WV, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Barbour County, WV has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbour County, WV | 15,424 | $52,294 #4/4 | $22,791 #4/4 | 27.1 min #4/4 |
| Upshur County, WV | 23,712 | $55,217 | $68,648 | 21.6 min |
| Randolph County, WV | 27,576 | $53,346 | $86,136 | 16.4 min |
| Harrison County, WV | 64,984 | $60,698 | $72,884 | 20.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Barbour County, West Virginia.
How many people live in Barbour County, West Virginia?
About 15,424 people live in Barbour County, West Virginia, in 6,152 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 43.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Barbour County, West Virginia urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Barbour County, West Virginia has 45 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 52% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Barbour County, West Virginia an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.4 times the median household income ($22,791 against $52,294), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $803 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Barbour County, West Virginia?
Unemployment in Barbour County, West Virginia is 8.5%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Barbour County, West Virginia?
10.5% of adults in Barbour County, West Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 10), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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