Upshur County, West Virginia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Upshur County is located in West Virginia with a total population of 23,712. It is the 25th most populous county out of 55 in West Virginia. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Upshur County is 42.3 years. This is about the same as the state median of 42.7 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Upshur County is $54,338. This is 9% lower than the state median of $59,608. It is also 33% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 19.2%. This is 15% higher than the state poverty rate of 16.7%. The unemployment rate is 5.7%. This is 6% higher than the state rate of 5.4%. The median home value is $170,800. Housing costs are 5% higher than the state median of $162,600. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.1x. 80.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 8% higher than the state average of 74.9%.

Race & Ethnicity

Upshur County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 91.8% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 1.5%. The Black or African American population (1.2%) is well below the state average of 3.1%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 0.8%.

Education

18.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 25% lower than the state rate of 24.1%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 88.5%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Upshur County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, 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.