Jefferson County, West Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Jefferson 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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B
Health Around averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in West Virginia
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B
Income Around averageWealthiest county in West Virginia
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 3 best educated counties in West Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Jefferson County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 59,260 | 1,778,099 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 279.8 | 73.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.80% | -0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.4 | 40.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 22,778 | 728,564 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Jefferson County grew by 16.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 59,260 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Jefferson County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.6% of residents. That is 2.4 points above West Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,397 19.2% -0.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 12,727 21.5% +2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,008 23.6% +2.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,393 17.5% -3.7 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 50.3% of the people living in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Jefferson County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Jefferson County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $98,855 | $59,640 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.29% | 4.26% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Jefferson County is about 66% higher than in West Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Jefferson County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $354,347 | $94,699 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,107 | $871 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.3% | 74.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Jefferson County is about 26.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,107 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Jefferson County spend about 64 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 267 hours, about 11.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Jefferson County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 32.1 | 21.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 64.1 | 43.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 267 | 180 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,280 | $5,581 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.3% | 9.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,556 | 7,243 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,024 | 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 Jefferson County is 32 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
Jefferson County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Jefferson County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.8% | 21.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.55 | 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
Jefferson County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Jefferson County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 76.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.9% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.5% | 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).
Jefferson County, WV Compared With Nearby Counties
Jefferson County, WV is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 59,260 residents against a local median of 155,706. Where Jefferson County, WV breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 36% above the local median of 23.6 min at 32.1 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $354,347 against a local median of $267,272, 33% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Jefferson County, WV is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves sit within 4.5 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Jefferson County, WV, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Jefferson County, WV has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, WV | 59,260 | $98,855 #2/4 | $354,347 #2/4 | 32.1 min #4/4 |
| Berkeley County, WV | 129,514 | $81,771 | $267,272 | 23.6 min |
| Washington County, MD | 155,706 | $78,373 | $148,959 | 21.6 min |
| Loudoun County, VA | 432,991 | $182,384 | $815,538 | 26.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Jefferson County, West Virginia.
What is the population of Jefferson County, West Virginia?
About 59,260 people live in Jefferson County, West Virginia, in 22,778 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Jefferson County, West Virginia urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Jefferson County, West Virginia has 280 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Jefferson County, West Virginia?
The median home costs 3.6 times the median household income ($354,347 against $98,855), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,107 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Jefferson County, West Virginia?
Unemployment in Jefferson County, West Virginia is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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