Demographics of Wetzel County, West Virginia

Wetzel County, West Virginia had 13,734 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −670 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Wetzel County, in four figures

13,734
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −4.7%
Change since July 2020: −670 people.; 45.3 ±0.8
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $56,836 ±$5,601
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Wetzel County, West Virginia's population shrank 4.7% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Wetzel County, West Virginia's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Wetzel County, West Virginia's population shrank 4.7% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Wetzel County, West Virginia's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	14,404	100.0	100.0
2021	14,206	98.6	100.2
2022	14,012	97.3	100.7
2023	13,993	97.1	101.6
2024	13,812	95.9	102.5
2025	13,734	95.3	103.1

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Population of Wetzel County, West Virginia on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	14,404	−47	−17	0	−28
2021	14,206	−198	−120	0	−83
2022	14,012	−194	−157	+9	−40
2023	13,993	−19	−65	+20	+32
2024	13,812	−181	−56	+8	−134
2025	13,734	−78	−58	+7	−28

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 45.3 ±0.8: for men 43.2 ±0.8 and for women 47.6 ±0.4. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Wetzel County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Under 5	836 ±63	5.9% ±0.4	5.0% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,152 ±178	15.3% ±1.3	15.1% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	995 ±131	7.1% ±0.9	8.8% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	3,035 ±183	21.6% ±1.3	23.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	3,841 ±224	27.3% ±1.6	26.2% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,219 ±292	22.9% ±2.1	21.0% ±0.2	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $56,836 ±$5,601, and income per person $31,337 ±$1,905, in 2024 dollars. The median is $59,608 ±$691 in West Virginia and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Wetzel County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	West Virginia	United States
Under $25,000	1,406 ±248	23.0% ±4.0	21.1% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,221 ±227	20.0% ±3.7	21.6% ±0.4	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,235 ±245	20.2% ±4.0	17.3% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	864 ±162	14.1% ±2.6	12.7% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	779 ±165	12.7% ±2.7	15.1% ±0.4	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	289 ±89	4.7% ±1.4	6.3% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	319 ±104	5.2% ±1.7	5.9% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Wetzel County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	West Virginia	United States
All ages	2,218 ±542	16.0% ±3.9	16.7% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	492 ±164	17.0% ±5.4	21.5% ±0.7	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	1,198 ±320	17.4% ±4.5	17.0% ±0.4	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	528 ±151	12.9% ±3.6	12.8% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Wetzel County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Wetzel County	West Virginia	United States
Housing units	7,297 ±26	861,325 ±394	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	83.8% ±2.9	84.6% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	16.2% ±2.9	15.4% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	83.2% ±1.9	74.9% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	16.8% ±3.0	25.1% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$107,900 ±$10,672	$162,600 ±$1,346	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$688 ±$61	$872 ±$8	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1962 ±3	1976 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Wetzel County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Hispanic or Latino	196 ±0	1.4% ±<0.1	2.1% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	13,197 ±228	93.7% ±1.6	89.7% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	0 to 58	0% to 0.4%	3.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 17	0% to 0.1%	0.8% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 20	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 20	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1%	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	1 to 139	< 0.1% to 1.0%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	583 ±204	4.1% ±1.4	3.9% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Wetzel County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Born in the state	11,021 ±444	78.3% ±3.2	67.4% ±0.3	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	2,965 ±434	21.1% ±3.1	30.2% ±0.3	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 84	0% to 0.6%	0.5% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	0 to 116	0% to 0.8%	1.8% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	0 to 57	0% to 0.4%	1.0% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	0 to 72	0% to 0.5%	0.8% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Wetzel County among the counties of West Virginia

38th of 55 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the West Virginia page.

Counties of West Virginia near Wetzel County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
McDowell County	16,878	−10.9%
Lewis County	16,394	−3.7%
Taylor County	16,287	−2.4%
Barbour County	15,414	−0.3%
Hardy County	14,337	+0.7%
Wetzel County	13,734	−4.7%
Roane County	13,317	−4.8%
Monroe County	12,491	+0.8%
Braxton County	11,885	−4.2%
Summers County	11,532	−3.3%
Grant County	11,041	+0.4%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026