County · West Virginia

Jefferson County, West Virginia

Jefferson County, West Virginia. Jefferson County had 63,102 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 9.4% since 2020, while West Virginia shrank 1.5%. It holds 8 places (5 cities, villages and boroughs and 3 census-designated) and 15 census tracts. GEOID 54037.

Jefferson County is one of the 23 counties of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

63,102

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 57,701 · ACS 2020-2024: 59,260

Median household income

$98,806

±$4,916 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $59,608

Median home value

$350,800

±$11,238 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $162,600

Median gross rent

$1,108

±$53 (90% margin)
West Virginia: $872

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

The 2020 Census counted 57,701 residents in Jefferson County. The Census Bureau estimates 63,102 for July 1, 2025, up 9.4% since 2020, while West Virginia shrank 1.5%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 59,260 over 209 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +766 (58,556)
2021→2022 +379 (58,935)
2022→2023 +795 (59,730)
2023→2024 +1,559 (61,289)
2024→2025 +1,813 (63,102)

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

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Jefferson County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	59,260	1,778,373	+2,754
Households	22,804±266	728,655	+1,913
Average household size	2.55±0.03	2.37	−0.09
Housing units	24,774±43	861,325	+1,597

Jefferson County's population since 2000

From 42,190 in 2000 to 63,102 in 2025: up 49.6%. 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 42,190
2005 (estimate) 48,662
2010 Census 53,498
2015 (estimate) 56,164
2020 Census 57,701
2025 (estimate) 63,102

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 Jefferson County?

Jefferson County holds 8 places: 5 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 3 census-designated places. The largest is Charles Town with 9,329 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 Jefferson County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Charles Town	city	6,534	7,337±28	$89,263	$377,700	6.5%	100%
Ranson corporation	municipality	5,433	5,729±22	$89,523	$242,700	12.0%	100%
Shannondale	CDP	3,487	3,465±397	$80,000	$293,600	13.3%	100%
Shepherdstown	town	1,531	1,460±250	$63,750	$485,200	6.2%	100%
Bolivar	town	1,036	1,215±263	$83,068	$251,600	10.5%	100%
Shenandoah JunctionGEOID 5473444	CDP	635	1,141±824	$94,821	$192,900	8.2%	100%
MiddlewayGEOID 5453692	CDP	482	479±294	$123,917	$298,800	4.8%	100%
Harpers FerryGEOID 5435284	town	269	350±143	$116,587	$529,100	2.3%	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 Jefferson County?

The median resident of Jefferson County is 41.0 years old; 21.1% are under 18 and 17.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 79.5%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 7.8%. 5.1% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Jefferson County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	41.0±0.4	42.7	no clear change
Under 18 years	21.1%	20.0%	–
65 years and over	17.3%±0.1 pts	21.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7.8%	2.1%	+2.1 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	79.5%±0.6 pts	89.7%	−3.7 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	5.6%±0.5 pts	3.1%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1.4%±0.3 pts	0.8%	no clear change
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	5.0%±0.7 pts	3.9%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.5 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	5.1%±0.8 pts	1.8%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.9%±0.7 pts	2.5%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	9.7%±0.8 pts	7.4%	–
With a disability	12.8%±1.0 pts	19.1%	–
No health insurance coverage	6.0%±0.9 pts	6.0%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	90.1%±1.3 pts	89.3%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	33.9%±1.9 pts	24.1%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	12.6%±1.1 pts	9.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	5.2%±1.0 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 Jefferson County earn?

Half of Jefferson County's 22,804 households earn less than $98,806 a year (±$4,916), against $59,608 in West Virginia. In 2015-2019 it was $98,985 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 8.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$98,806±$4,916	$59,608	no clear change
Mean household income	$120,421±$3,917	$81,190	–
Per capita income	$46,514±$1,436	$34,203	no clear change
People below the poverty line	8.7%±1.4 pts	16.7%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	11.3%±3.5 pts	21.5%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	10.9%±1.5 pts	17.3%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	92.4%±1.3 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 Jefferson County?

Owners occupy 80.3% of Jefferson County's occupied homes and renters 19.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $350,800 by its owner (±$11,238). The median renter pays $1,108 a month including utilities, and 32.0% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$350,800±$11,238	$162,600	+$40,296
Median gross rent	$1,108±$53	$872	−$120
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	32.0%±5.8 pts	39.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,811±$77	$1,255	–
Owner-occupied homes	80.3%±1.9 pts	74.9%	+3.9 pts
Housing units	24,774±43	861,325	+1,597
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.5%±0.4 pts	1.2%	–
Rental vacancy rate	3.3%±1.9 pts	6.7%	–
Single-family detached homes	77.4%±1.9 pts	70.9%	–
Mobile homes	7.0%±1.3 pts	13.6%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.6%±0.6 pts	1.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	9.4%±1.2 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 Jefferson County building?

Builders took permits for 1,324 new housing units across Jefferson County in 2025 (1,213 single-family), 21.0 per 1,000 residents.

2019 197 units
2020 288 units
2021 689 units
2022 528 units
2023 1,007 units
2024 990 units
2025 1,324 units

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

How do people in Jefferson County get to work?

69.5% of Jefferson County's workers drive alone and 17.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 37.1 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	West Virginia	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	64.3%±1.4 pts	53.8%	–
Unemployment rate	3.9%±0.8 pts	5.4%	−2.1 pts
Drove alone to work	69.5%±2.1 pts	78.1%	–
Carpooled	9.2%±1.7 pts	8.5%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Walked	2.0%±0.6 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	17.3%±1.6 pts	9.1%	+11.5 pts
Mean travel time to work	37.1 min±1.4	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 Jefferson County's census tracts?

Jefferson County is divided into 15 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $57,188 (Tract 9725.05) to $135,729 (Tract 9725.01).

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

Tract 9722.0154037972201	Shepherdstown (14%)	5,169	5,243±386	$110,945	$412,900	$1,183	7.7%
Tract 9722.0354037972203	Shepherdstown (18%)	2,488	2,122±321	$113,696	$465,900	$1,224	9.0%
Tract 9722.0454037972204	Shepherdstown (40%)	2,438	2,789±819	$105,524	$362,900	$1,079	7.3%
Tract 972354037972300	Ranson corporation (12%)	4,569	4,676±504	$90,625	$281,200	$1,301	8.5%
Tract 9724.0154037972401	Ranson corporation (85%)	2,718	2,810±364	$81,307	$199,700	$1,094	11.4%
Tract 9724.0254037972402	Ranson corporation (43%)	4,461	4,254±463	$86,053	$286,400	$1,061	16.0%
Tract 9725.0154037972501	Charles Town (47%)	5,313	5,756±558	$135,729	$402,900	$1,088	7.9%
Tract 9725.0354037972503	Charles Town (21%)	4,049	4,606±593	$99,861	$338,400	not published	6.2%
Tract 9725.0554037972505	Charles Town (77%)	2,705	2,512±283	$57,188	$319,700	$1,105	6.3%
Tract 9725.0654037972506	Charles Town (44%)	4,131	4,933±588	$92,377	$382,200	$1,132	4.9%
Tract 9726.0154037972601	Harpers Ferry (34%)	1,950	2,080±308	$82,727	$321,400	$1,348	7.5%
Tract 9726.0254037972602	Bolivar (1%)	4,633	4,481±436	$119,605	$480,900	$1,201	3.4%
Tract 9727.0154037972701	Harpers Ferry (2%)	2,770	2,973±425	$89,750	$251,300	$966	15.9%
Tract 9727.0254037972702	Shannondale (86%)	4,243	4,069±382	$76,625	$294,600	$1,205	13.9%
Tract 972854037972800	Middleway (10%)	6,064	5,956±675	$122,865	$404,700	$940	7.4%

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

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

Jefferson County's rank among West Virginia's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	8th of 55
Growth 2020-2025	2nd of 55
Residents per square mile	6th of 55
Median household income	1st of 55
Median home value	1st of 55
Median gross rent	2nd of 55
Poverty rate	55th of 55
Bachelor's degree or higher	2nd of 55
Median age	51st 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 Jefferson 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.