Summers County, West Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Summers 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 85% of counties in West Virginia
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 89% of counties in West Virginia
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Summers County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,729 | 1,778,099 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 31.9 | 73.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.58% | -0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 50.8 | 40.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,680 | 728,564 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Summers County declined by 11.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,729 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Summers County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.2% of residents. That is 4.0 points above West Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,803 15.4% -4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,243 19.1% on par
- Gen X 45–60 2,677 22.8% +1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,957 25.2% +4.0 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 53.4% of the people living in Summers County and men 46.6%.
- Women 53.4% West Virginia 50.3%
- Men 46.6% West Virginia 49.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Summers County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Summers County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Summers County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,711 | $59,640 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 1.74% | 4.26% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Summers County is about 32% lower than in West Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Summers County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $133,422 | $94,699 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $915 | $871 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.2% | 74.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Summers County is about 12.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $915 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Summers County spend about 63 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 262 hours, about 10.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Summers County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 31.5 | 21.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 63.0 | 43.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 262 | 180 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,135 | $5,581 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.2% | 9.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,126 | 7,243 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 645 | 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 Summers County is 31 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
Summers County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Summers County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.6% | 21.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.32 | 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
Summers County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Summers County | West Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 72.8 | 76.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.9% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.5% | 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).
Summers County, WV Compared With Nearby Counties
Summers County, WV is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 11,729 residents against a local median of 58,563. Summers County, WV's median home price, at $133,422, runs 97% above the $67,631 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 31.5 min against a local median of 20.7 min, 52% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Summers County, WV reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves sit within $29,995 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Summers County, WV, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Summers County, WV has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summers County, WV | 11,729 | $40,711 #4/4 | $133,422 #1/4 | 31.5 min #4/4 |
| Mercer County, WV | 58,563 | $52,590 | $67,631 | 20.7 min |
| Raleigh County, WV | 73,194 | $51,658 | $84,848 | 20.2 min |
| Fayette County, WV | 39,515 | $53,782 | $54,853 | 23.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Summers County, West Virginia.
What is the population of Summers County, West Virginia?
About 11,729 people live in Summers County, West Virginia, in 4,680 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 50.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 14 years.
Is Summers County, West Virginia urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Summers County, West Virginia has 32 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 37% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Summers County, West Virginia?
The median home costs 3.3 times the median household income ($133,422 against $40,711), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $915 a month takes about 27% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Summers County, West Virginia?
Unemployment in Summers County, West Virginia is only 2.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Summers County, West Virginia?
15.6% of adults in Summers County, West Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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