Brooke County, West Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Brooke 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.
-
C
Health Below averageHealthier than 76% of counties in West Virginia
-
C
Income Below averageWealthier than 89% of counties in West Virginia
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 80% of counties in West Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Brooke County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,782 | 1,778,099 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 235.5 | 73.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.91% | -0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.8 | 40.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,675 | 728,564 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Brooke County declined by 10.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,782 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Brooke County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.0% of residents. That is 1.8 points above West Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,218 19.4% -0.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,876 17.8% -1.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,665 21.4% +0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,019 23.0% +1.8 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 50.3% of the people living in Brooke County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% West Virginia 50.3%
- Men 49.7% West Virginia 49.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Brooke County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Brooke County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Brooke County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,363 | $59,640 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.06% | 4.26% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Brooke County is about 9% lower than in West Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Brooke County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $55,000 | $94,699 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $644 | $871 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.6% | 74.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Brooke County is about 7.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $644 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Brooke County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 175 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Brooke County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.0 | 21.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.0 | 43.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 175 | 180 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,426 | $5,581 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 9.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,289 | 7,243 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,091 | 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 Brooke County is 21 minutes, shorter 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
Brooke County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Brooke County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.9% | 21.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.16 | 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
Brooke County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Brooke County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 76.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.0% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.8% | 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).
Brooke County, WV Compared With Nearby Counties
Brooke County, WV is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 21,782 residents against a local median of 41,582. Brooke County, WV's median home price, at $55,000, runs 17% below the $66,603 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $63,320 on median home price, so Brooke County, WV sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Brooke County, WV has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooke County, WV | 21,782 | $54,363 #6/6 | $55,000 #5/6 | 21.0 min #4/6 |
| Ohio County, WV | 41,582 | $56,652 | $66,603 | 17.0 min |
| Jefferson County, OH | 64,518 | $58,815 | $90,625 | 20.7 min |
| Hancock County, WV | 28,177 | $62,034 | $33,531 | 20.3 min |
| Washington County, PA | 209,930 | $79,568 | $61,756 | 23.2 min |
| Marshall County, WV | 29,868 | $59,233 | $96,851 | 23.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Brooke County, West Virginia.
How many people live in Brooke County, West Virginia?
About 21,782 people live in Brooke County, West Virginia, in 9,675 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Brooke County, West Virginia urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Brooke County, West Virginia has 235 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Brooke County, West Virginia an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($55,000 against $54,363), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $644 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Brooke County, West Virginia?
19.9% of adults in Brooke County, West Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →