Brooke County, West Virginia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Brooke County is located in West Virginia with a total population of 22,053. It is the 28th most populous county out of 55 in West Virginia. The county encompasses 7 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Brooke County is 46.6 years. This is 9% higher than the state median of 42.7 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Brooke County is $52,116. This is 10% lower than the state median of $57,917. It is also 34% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 12.1%. This is 27% lower than the state poverty rate of 16.6%. The unemployment rate is 6.0%. This is 5% higher than the state rate of 5.7%. The median home value is $127,700. Housing costs are 18% lower than the state median of $155,600. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.5x, Brooke County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 73.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 1% lower than the state average of 74.3%.

Race & Ethnicity

Brooke County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 93.1% of all residents. Black or African American residents account for 1.4%. The Black or African American population (1.4%) is well below the state average of 3.2%.

Education

21.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 6% lower than the state rate of 23.3%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 92.4%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Brooke County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against West Virginia and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.