County · West Virginia

Fayette County, West Virginia

Fayette County, West Virginia. Fayette County had 38,165 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 5.8% since 2020, a steeper fall than West Virginia's (−1.5%). It holds 30 places (10 cities, villages and boroughs and 20 census-designated) and 13 census tracts. GEOID 54019.

Fayette County is one of the 2 counties of the Beckley, WV metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

38,165

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 40,488 · ACS 2020-2024: 39,519

Median household income

$53,194

±$2,709 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $59,608

Median home value

$105,800

±$4,907 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $162,600

Median gross rent

$788

±$50 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $872

How many people live in Fayette County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 40,488 residents in Fayette County. The Census Bureau estimates 38,165 for July 1, 2025, down 5.8% since 2020, a steeper fall than West Virginia's (−1.5%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 39,519 over 662 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −378 (40,064)
2021→2022 −656 (39,408)
2022→2023 −348 (39,060)
2023→2024 −506 (38,554)
2024→2025 −389 (38,165)

Fayette County in West Virginia. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Fayette County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	39,519	1,778,373	−4,057
Households	15,948±422	728,655	−1,493
Average household size	2.40±0.06	2.37	no clear change
Housing units	19,084±34	861,325	−2,412

Fayette County's population since 2000

From 47,579 in 2000 to 38,165 in 2025: down 19.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 47,579
2005 (estimate) 46,229
2010 Census 46,039
2015 (estimate) 44,726
2020 Census 40,488
2025 (estimate) 38,165

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Fayette County?

Fayette County holds 30 places: 10 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 20 census-designated places. The largest is Oak Hill with 7,629 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Fayette County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Oak Hill	city	8,179	7,937±22	$52,466	$118,700	21.7%	100%
Fayetteville	town	2,887	2,817±28	$67,623	$184,000	10.3%	100%
Ansted	town	1,303	1,140±368	$38,375	$68,700	27.2%	100%
Mount Hope	city	1,125	1,504±299	$34,375	$101,000	32.3%	100%
SmithersGEOID 5474740	city	754	712±332	$45,417	$76,500	25.7%	99%
Montgomery	city	1,275	1,516±354	$27,679	$133,000	28.3%	52%
BoomerGEOID 5409100	CDP	599	250±142	$38,209	not published	28.0%	100%
Gauley BridgeGEOID 5430364	town	553	413±198	$25,625	$66,500	40.9%	100%
HilltopGEOID 5437444	CDP	528	397±191	$30,884	$56,300	18.1%	100%
PowelltonGEOID 5465284	CDP	493	479±425	not published	$70,900	16.5%	100%
ScarbroGEOID 5472292	CDP	461	176±132	not published	not published	30.7%	100%
GatewoodGEOID 5430316	CDP	390	605±263	$76,351	$109,600	0.7%	100%
Mount CarbonGEOID 5456212	CDP	341	347±259	$250,000 or more	not published	0.0%	100%
Meadow BridgeGEOID 5452780	town	324	504±254	$43,750	not published	15.7%	100%
Charlton HeightsGEOID 5414630	CDP	307	276±302	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
HicoGEOID 5437036	CDP	239	16±24	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
KimberlyGEOID 5443828	CDP	213	357±223	not published	not published	69.5%	100%
GartenGEOID 5430148	CDP	204	107±109	$18,346	$55,400	20.6%	100%
Falls ViewGEOID 5426812	CDP	193	372±340	not published	not published	51.6%	100%
KincaidGEOID 5443852	CDP	191	285±318	$19,250	not published	79.6%	100%
Deep WaterGEOID 5420764	CDP	183	104±108	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Glen FerrisGEOID 5431732	CDP	174	41±46	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
PageGEOID 5461660	CDP	152	90±87	$58,947	$103,300	0.0%	100%
PaxGEOID 5462356	town	136	83±48	$28,750	$43,300	32.5%	100%
Beards ForkGEOID 5405068	CDP	127	46±58	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
PrinceGEOID 5465668	CDP	115	52±47	not published	$90,700	0.0%	100%
CunardGEOID 5419588	CDP	98	165±227	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Glen JeanGEOID 5431876	CDP	90	34±54	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
DixieGEOID 5421628	CDP	227	56±63	not published	not published	0.0%	33%
ThurmondGEOID 5480284	town	5	5±8	not published	not published	0.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Fayette County?

The median resident of Fayette County is 44.7 years old; 20.7% are under 18 and 22.4% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 91.4%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 4.1%.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Fayette County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	44.7±0.5	42.7	no clear change
Under 18 years	20.7%±0.1 pts	20.0%	–
65 years and over	22.4%±0.2 pts	21.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1.4%	2.1%	+0.2 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	91.4%±0.4 pts	89.7%	−1.0 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	4.1%±0.2 pts	3.1%	−1.1 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.8%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.6%±0.3 pts	3.9%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.3 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	0.3%±0.2 pts	1.8%	–
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	0.4%±0.2 pts	2.5%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	8.4%±0.9 pts	7.4%	–
With a disability	21.4%±1.3 pts	19.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	8.0%±1.3 pts	6.0%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	86.9%±1.6 pts	89.3%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	15.8%±1.9 pts	24.1%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	5.5%±1.2 pts	9.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.6%±0.3 pts	2.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Fayette County earn?

Half of Fayette County's 15,948 households earn less than $53,194 a year (±$2,709), against $59,608 in West Virginia. In 2015-2019 it was $50,943 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 19.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Fayette County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$53,194±$2,709	$59,608	no clear change
Mean household income	$68,298±$3,743	$81,190	–
Per capita income	$28,113±$1,386	$34,203	no clear change
People below the poverty line	19.2%±2.7 pts	16.7%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	28.9%±6.6 pts	21.5%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	19.6%±2.6 pts	17.3%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	82.7%±2.1 pts	86.1%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Fayette County?

Owners occupy 77.7% of Fayette County's occupied homes and renters 22.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $105,800 by its owner (±$4,907). The median renter pays $788 a month including utilities, and 42.5% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Fayette County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$105,800±$4,907	$162,600	no clear change
Median gross rent	$788±$50	$872	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	42.5%±7.9 pts	39.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,174±$59	$1,255	–
Owner-occupied homes	77.7%±2.5 pts	74.9%	no clear change
Housing units	19,084±34	861,325	−2,412
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.7%±0.4 pts	1.2%	–
Rental vacancy rate	7.5%±3.1 pts	6.7%	–
Single-family detached homes	76.6%±2.3 pts	70.9%	–
Mobile homes	15.3%±2.0 pts	13.6%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.4%±0.3 pts	1.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	19.5%±2.2 pts	14.9%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Fayette County building?

Builders took permits for 27 new housing units across Fayette County in 2025 (27 single-family), 0.7 per 1,000 residents.

2019 38 units
2020 32 units
2021 32 units
2022 37 units
2023 26 units
2024 28 units
2025 27 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Fayette County get to work?

78.1% of Fayette County's workers drive alone and 6.6% work from home. The average trip to work takes 30.1 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.6%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Fayette County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	48.1%±2.1 pts	53.8%	–
Unemployment rate	5.6%±1.5 pts	5.4%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	78.1%±3.1 pts	78.1%	–
Carpooled	11.2%±2.4 pts	8.5%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±0.3 pts	0.5%	–
Walked	2.8%±0.9 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	6.6%±1.9 pts	9.1%	+4.3 pts
Mean travel time to work	30.1 min±2.5	26.6 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Fayette County's census tracts?

Fayette County is divided into 13 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $36,667 (Tract 205) to $68,709 (Tract 201.01).

Census tracts of Fayette County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 201.0154019020101	Fayetteville (42%)	4,145	4,068±418	$68,709	$117,200	$856	13.6%
Tract 201.0254019020102	Fayetteville (37%)	1,627	1,861±479	$59,554	$122,700	$1,040	8.4%
Tract 202.0154019020201	Oak Hill (65%)	3,813	4,114±455	$63,605	$123,000	$741	17.3%
Tract 202.0254019020202	Oak Hill (53%)	3,652	3,452±517	$62,115	$160,900	$799	17.6%
Tract 20354019020300	Oak Hill (92%)	2,733	2,412±360	$46,875	$128,400	$823	15.8%
Tract 20454019020400	Glen Jean (11%)	3,873	3,635±533	$46,250	$87,500	$639	27.0%
Tract 20554019020500	Mount Hope (63%)	1,606	1,792±314	$36,667	$95,500	$558	31.0%
Tract 20654019020600	Pax (9%)	1,782	1,409±231	$53,542	$73,600	not published	8.5%
Tract 20754019020700	Montgomery (18%)	3,167	3,384±558	$41,080	$74,100	$691	33.6%
Tract 20854019020800	Smithers (21%)	4,429	3,537±496	$49,448	$95,900	$876	21.6%
Tract 20954019020900	Ansted (23%)	4,068	4,249±534	$51,889	$94,300	$1,010	15.1%
Tract 21054019021000	Hico (4%)	2,827	2,581±481	$55,026	$130,900	$752	5.3%
Tract 21154019021100	Meadow Bridge (11%)	2,766	3,025±581	$52,767	$98,100	$715	29.6%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Fayette County compare with West Virginia's other counties?

Fayette County's rank among West Virginia's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	13th of 55
Growth 2020-2025	45th of 55
Residents per square mile	22nd of 55
Median household income	34th of 55
Median home value	46th of 55
Median gross rent	26th of 55
Poverty rate	19th of 55
Bachelor's degree or higher	36th of 55
Median age	28th of 55

Every county in West Virginia

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Fayette County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.