Demographics of Wheeling city, West Virginia

Wheeling city, West Virginia had 25,680 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −1,254 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Wheeling city, in four figures

25,680
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 26,350 ±207.; −4.7%
Change since July 2020: −1,254 people.; 45.4 ±1.5
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $48,590 ±$2,959
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

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

The July 1 estimate of Wheeling city, 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 — incorporated places and New England towns

About this chart

The figures

Wheeling city, West Virginia's population shrank 4.7% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Wheeling city, 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	26,934	100.0	100.0
2021	26,618	98.8	100.2
2022	26,394	98.0	100.7
2023	26,168	97.2	101.6
2024	26,002	96.5	102.5
2025	25,680	95.3	103.1

Population of Wheeling city, West Virginia on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	26,934	—
2021	26,618	−316
2022	26,394	−224
2023	26,168	−226
2024	26,002	−166
2025	25,680	−322

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 45.4 ±1.5: for men 42.9 ±1.7 and for women 47.6 ±2.0. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Wheeling city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Under 5	1,123 ±208	4.3% ±0.8	5.0% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	3,640 ±361	13.8% ±1.4	15.1% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	2,186 ±280	8.3% ±1.1	8.8% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	6,119 ±399	23.2% ±1.5	23.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	6,470 ±433	24.6% ±1.6	26.2% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	6,812 ±473	25.9% ±1.8	21.0% ±0.2	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $48,590 ±$2,959, and income per person $36,509 ±$2,469, 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 Wheeling city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	West Virginia	United States
Under $25,000	3,460 ±456	27.4% ±3.5	21.1% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	3,041 ±376	24.1% ±2.9	21.6% ±0.4	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,704 ±262	13.5% ±2.0	17.3% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,412 ±205	11.2% ±1.6	12.7% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,411 ±231	11.2% ±1.8	15.1% ±0.4	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	845 ±183	6.7% ±1.4	6.3% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	741 ±156	5.9% ±1.2	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 Wheeling city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	West Virginia	United States
All ages	5,184 ±636	20.5% ±2.5	16.7% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,253 ±288	27.4% ±5.7	21.5% ±0.7	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,530 ±353	20.7% ±2.7	17.0% ±0.4	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,401 ±287	16.5% ±3.2	12.8% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Wheeling city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Wheeling city	West Virginia	United States
Housing units	14,569 ±290	861,325 ±394	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	86.6% ±1.7	84.6% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	13.4% ±2.2	15.4% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	59.8% ±2.6	74.9% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	40.2% ±2.6	25.1% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$146,500 ±$8,330	$162,600 ±$1,346	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$794 ±$32	$872 ±$8	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1949 ±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 Wheeling city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Hispanic or Latino	368 ±110	1.4% ±0.4	2.1% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	23,402 ±303	88.8% ±0.9	89.7% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	1,180 ±154	4.5% ±0.6	3.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	38 to 152	0.1% to 0.6%	0.8% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	4 to 50	< 0.1% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 24	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1%	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 67	0% to 0.3%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,247 ±205	4.7% ±0.8	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 Wheeling city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Born in the state	17,570 ±637	66.7% ±2.4	67.4% ±0.3	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	8,077 ±620	30.7% ±2.3	30.2% ±0.3	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	64 to 210	0.2% to 0.8%	0.5% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	566 ±167	2.1% ±0.6	1.8% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	302 ±128	1.1% ±0.5	1.0% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	264 ±105	1.0% ±0.4	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%.

Wheeling city among the places of West Virginia

5th of 31 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the West Virginia page.

Places of West Virginia near Wheeling city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Charleston city	47,421 ±38
Huntington city	45,787 ±50
Morgantown city	30,236 ±37
Parkersburg city	29,240 ±33
Wheeling city	26,350 ±207
Martinsburg city	18,904 ±31
Weirton city	18,647 ±41
Fairmont city	18,221 ±35
Beckley city	16,818 ±27
Clarksburg city	15,549 ±31

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in Wheeling city, West Virginia

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — 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

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026