Lewis County, West Virginia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Lewis County is located in West Virginia with a total population of 16,808. It is the 34th most populous county out of 55 in West Virginia. The county encompasses 2 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Lewis County is 43.2 years. This is 1% higher than the state median of 42.7 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Lewis County is $52,279. This is 10% lower than the state median of $57,917. It is also 33% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 19.4%. This is 17% higher than the state poverty rate of 16.6%. The unemployment rate is 9.4%. This is 65% higher than the state rate of 5.7%. The median home value is $135,800. Housing costs are 13% lower than the state median of $155,600. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.6x, Lewis County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 70.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 5% lower than the state average of 74.3%.

Race & Ethnicity

Lewis County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 91.2% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 1.5%. The Black or African American population (0.3%) is well below the state average of 3.2%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 0.8%.

Education

17.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 25% 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 88.4%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Lewis 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.