Ritchie County, WV

County

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2024 Population

8,286

US Senator

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican Party

US Senator

Jim Justice

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

46.1

2.33% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

21.6%

0.524% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$50,582

0.649% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$115,900

7.51% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,184

8.19% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Ritchie County, WV reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.1% of the residents in Ritchie County, WV are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Ritchie County, WV was $115,900, and the homeownership rate was 84.2%.

Most people in Ritchie County, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 33 minutes. The average car ownership in Ritchie County, WV was 2 cars per household.

Ritchie County, WV borders Calhoun County, WV, Doddridge County, WV, Gilmer County, WV, Pleasants County, WV, Tyler County, WV, Wirt County, WV, and Wood County, WV.

United States West Virginia

Population & Diversity

Ritchie County, WV is home to a population of 8.29k people, from which 99.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.45% of Ritchie County, WV residents were born outside of the country (120 people).

In 2024, there were 72 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (7.99k people) in Ritchie County, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 111 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 107 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.1%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.1% of Ritchie County, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ritchie County, WV was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Ritchie County, WV compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ritchie County, WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
7.99k ± 10
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
111 ± 82
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
107 ± 46

0.712%

Hispanic Population

59 people

0.712% of the people in Ritchie County, WV are hispanic (59 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ritchie County, WV as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for West Virginia.

Most Common Origin

India
2,277 ± 1,171 people
Mexico
2,211 ± 1,154 people
Germany
1,987 ± 1,094 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of West Virginia was India, the natal country of 2,277 West Virginia residents, followed by Mexico with 2,211 and Germany with 1,987.

Foreign-Born Population

1.45%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

120 people

1.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

92 people

As of 2024, 1.45% of Ritchie County, WV residents (120 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Ritchie County, WV was 1.1%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Ritchie County, WV compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
114 ± 58
Gulf War (1990s)
106 ± 49
Gulf War (2001-)
70 ± 50

Ritchie County, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.08 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Ritchie County, WV.

Economy

The economy of Ritchie County, WV employs 3.18k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ritchie County, WV were Manufacturing (508 people), Public Administration (405 people), and Retail Trade (331 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($88,859), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($74,375), and Wholesale Trade ($66,000).

Employment

Occupations

3.18k

2024 Value

± 333

8.19%

1 Year growth

± 13.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ritchie County, WV grew at a rate of 8.19%, from 2.94k employees to 3.18k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ritchie County, WV, are Production Occupations (457 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (367 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (357 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ritchie County, WV.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in West Virginia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

3.18k

2024 Value

± 333

8.19%

1 Year growth

± 13.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ritchie County, WV grew at a rate of 8.19%, from 2.94k employees to 3.18k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ritchie County, WV, are Manufacturing (508 people), Public Administration (405 people), and Retail Trade (331 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ritchie County, WV, though some of these residents may live in Ritchie County, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,347

Median earning men ± $9,289

$27,688

Median earning women ± $6,099

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($88,125), Manufacturing ($72,083), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($70,278).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($56,875), Public Administration ($48,108), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($47,917).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.

Y-Axis

0.583%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 690k people employed in West Virginia. This represents a 0.583% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 15%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in West Virginia.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

14
Other Services (except Public Administration)
12
Retail Trade
12
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$41.1k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
$37.9k
Manufacturing
$10.1k
Wholesale Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ritchie County, WV was $115,900 in 2024, which is 0.348 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $107,800 to $115,900, a 7.51% increase. The homeownership rate in Ritchie County, WV is 84.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ritchie County, WV have an average commute time of 33 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ritchie County, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 9.62% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ritchie County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 3.02%.

Housing

Property

$115,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,350

$2,854

Median Property Taxes

±$298

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Ritchie County, WV the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Ritchie County, WV compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

84.2%

Homeownership

2024

62%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 84.2% of the housing units in Ritchie County, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 84.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ritchie County, WV compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$50,582

Median Household Income

± $4,402

3.39k

Number of Households

± 334

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.39k households in Ritchie County, WV grew to $50,582 from the previous year's value of $50,256.

The following chart displays the households in Ritchie County, WV distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Ritchie County, WV is from West Virginia.

0.443

2023 Wage GINI in West Virginia

0.449

2022 Wage GINI in West Virginia

In 2023, the income inequality in West Virginia was 0.443 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.39% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for West Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in West Virginia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in West Virginia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (77%)
Carpooled (11.9%)
Worked At Home (9.76%)

In 2024, 77% of workers in Ritchie County, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.9%) and those who worked at home (9.76%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

33 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ritchie County, WV have a longer commute time (33 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.18% of the workforce in Ritchie County, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ritchie County, WV compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Ritchie County, WV distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ritchie County, WV have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 9.62% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ritchie County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 3.02%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

21.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ritchie County, WV (1.74k out of 8.08k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Ritchie County, WV is White, followed by Asian and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 24.5% of the children was living in poverty in Ritchie County, WV. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 82.5 in Ritchie County, WV. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 111 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

92.2% of the population of Ritchie County, WV has health coverage, with 37.3% on employee plans, 22.3% on Medicaid, 19% on Medicare, 11.6% on non-group plans, and 2.13% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Ritchie County, WV see 8,383 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (8,383 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 8207 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 2042 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

8,383 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Ritchie County, WV

Primary care physicians in Ritchie County, WV see an average of 8,383 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (8,383 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Ritchie County, WV in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.7% under 18 years, 16.1% between 18 and 34 years, 40.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.82%

Uninsured

37.3%

Employer Coverage

22.3%

Medicaid

19%

Medicare

11.6%

Non-Group

2.13%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ritchie County, WV grew by 11.9% from 6.99% to 7.82%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Ritchie County, WV changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.