Fayette County, West Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Fayette 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 averageLess healthy than 80% of counties in West Virginia
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 74% of counties in West Virginia
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 39,515 | 1,778,099 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 59.2 | 73.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.66% | -0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.7 | 40.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,946 | 728,564 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Fayette County declined by 14.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 39,515 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Fayette County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.0% of residents. That is 0.8 points above West Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,986 17.7% -2.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,655 19.4% +0.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,688 22.0% +0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,347 21.1% on par
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 49.8% of the people living in Fayette County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% West Virginia 50.3%
- Men 50.2% West Virginia 49.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Fayette County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Fayette County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,782 | $59,640 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.48% | 4.26% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.6% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Fayette County is about 10% lower than in West Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $54,853 | $94,699 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $788 | $871 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.7% | 74.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Fayette County is about 5.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $788 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Fayette County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 194 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.3 | 21.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.6 | 43.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 194 | 180 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,018 | $5,581 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 9.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,520 | 7,243 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,230 | 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 Fayette County is 23 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
Fayette County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.0% | 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
Fayette County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Fayette County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 76.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.9% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 27.4% | 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).
Fayette County, WV Compared With Nearby Counties
Fayette County, WV is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 39,515 residents against a local median of 73,194. Where Fayette County, WV breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 36% below the local median of $85,645 at $54,853.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.3 min against a local median of 20.2 min, 16% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 16% above the local median it puts Fayette County, WV at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $12,964 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Fayette County, WV, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Fayette County, WV has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, WV | 39,515 | $53,782 #3/4 | $54,853 #4/4 | 23.3 min #4/4 |
| Raleigh County, WV | 73,194 | $51,658 | $84,848 | 20.2 min |
| Nicholas County, WV | 24,277 | $54,729 | $97,812 | 21.6 min |
| Kanawha County, WV | 176,529 | $61,190 | $85,645 | 18.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Fayette County, West Virginia.
How many people live in Fayette County, West Virginia?
About 39,515 people live in Fayette County, West Virginia, in 15,946 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 43.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Fayette County, West Virginia?
Averaged over its land area, Fayette County, West Virginia has 59 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Fayette County, West Virginia an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($54,853 against $53,782), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $788 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Fayette County, West Virginia have a college degree?
15.0% of adults in Fayette County, West Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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