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Pendleton County, WV

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
90
10% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$178,600
national $303,400
Monthly rent
$754
national $1,348
Homeownership
82%
national 65%
Unemployment
2.9%
national 3.6%
Household income
$61,738
national $78,538
Median age
50.8 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the statewide price level for West Virginia (state avg).

The cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. The median home is valued at $178,600 (nominal). Median rent is about $754 a month. Unemployment averaged 2.9% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $61,738. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Pendleton County, WV saw a net loss of 51 tax-filing households and a net loss of 70 individuals. Against a population of about 6,029, that is a net outflow of about 12 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $1.5M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 31 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$1.5M
nominal dollars
Net households
-51
tax returns
Net people
-70
exemptions

-11.6 net people per 1,000 residents (population 6,029)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$4.8M
Moved out$6.2M
Net -$1.5M (nominal)
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Pendleton County within West Virginia

Pendleton County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other West Virginia counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

No flows above the IRS disclosure threshold.

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Where movers went

No flows above the IRS disclosure threshold.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$2.5M (+41 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$80K-26
2013+$100K-48
2014-$1.8M-50
2015+$3.5M-8
2016+$413K-18
2017-$1.3M+142
2018+$161K-7
2019+$556K+53
2020+$1.6M+16
2021+$115K+26
2022+$770K+31
2023-$1.5M-70
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 70 more people left Pendleton County, WV than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $1.5M in income (nominal) — in a county of 5,995 people.

Population
5,995
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-11.7
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -117 people.
Net income per resident
−$244
nominal dollars
-$1.5M total across 5,995 residents.

The rate lets you compare Pendleton County, WV with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+54
Deaths
-109
Net domestic migration
+2
Net international migration
+2
Total change
-53

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Pendleton County, WV run about 10% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $112 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$53,199
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
24% below the U.S. average
Price level
89.6
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 10.4% lower than average
What that income buys
$59,352
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
15% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

This county isn't in a metro area that BEA prices separately, so cost of living shows the West Virginia (state avg) figure.

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents56.2
Goods95.7
Utilities87.8
Other services99.9

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Pendleton County, WV

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
50.8
years
Median household income
$61,738
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
21% below the U.S. median
College degree
20%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
16.3%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
30 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
75%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 95%Hispanic 2%Black 2%Asian 0%Other 1%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$178,600
owner-occupied homes
41% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$754
gross rent per month
44% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
82%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
New home construction · building permits, 2023
28new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
2.9%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
3,156
3,065 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.3%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.8 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Pendleton County, WV has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20246802,68758R +58.63,425
20208202,78257R +53.63,659
20167292,39898R +51.83,225
20121,0742,09570R +31.53,239
20081,3102,03550R +21.43,395
20041,3812,14617R +21.63,544
20001,1721,99653R +25.63,221

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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