HomeWest VirginiaWetzel County
Wetzel County, West Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Wetzel County, West Virginia had an estimated 13,766 residents on July 1, 2024, down 4.8 percent since the 2020 census base of 14,458, across 358 square miles. County output reached $1.37 bn in 2024, 308 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 6 7(a) approvals worth $4.4 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Wetzel County
How many people live in Wetzel County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202414,078
- Households6,113
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$56,836
- Median age45.3
- Median gross rent$688 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$107,900
- Home value to household income1.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher17.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over10,095
- Population under 182,988
- Share under 1821.2 percent
- Population 65 and over3,219
- Share 65 and over22.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 647,871
- Civilian labor force5,478
- Unemployment rate5.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over49.4 percent
- Rank by population among West Virginia counties38th of 55
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2218th of 3,222
Wetzel County is the 38th largest of 55 West Virginia counties by population. A median home costs 1.9 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 22.9 percent against 21.2 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wetzel County
Is Wetzel County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202413,766
- Census 2020 base population14,458
- Population change since the 2020 census base-4.79 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-206
- Births, 2024147
- Deaths, 2024244
- Natural change, 2024-97
- Net domestic migration, 2024-131
- Net international migration, 202423
- Total net migration, 2024-108
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-221
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2968th of 3,144
The county has lost 4.79 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Wetzel County
Where are people moving to Wetzel County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving273
- People arriving, from those returns485
- Tax returns filed by households leaving298
- Net household movement-25
- Adjusted gross income arriving$10.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-10.7 m
- Average income of an arriving household$37,773
- Average income of a leaving household$70,450
- Largest single originTyler County (63 households)
- Largest single destinationTyler County (48 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler County | 63 | 120 | $2.5 m |
Households arriving report $32,677 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Tyler County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Wetzel County
What is the Wetzel County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$1.37 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.33 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.3 percent
- GDP change over five years81.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among the West Virginia areas BEA publishes18th of 55
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1582nd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$97,401
Output grew 3.3 percent in the latest year and 81.2 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Wetzel County
Employment by industry in Wetzel County
- Covered employment, annual average4,878
- Establishments reporting453
- Average annual pay$55,398
- Average weekly wage$1,065
- Retail trade, employment873
- Retail trade, average annual pay$31,544
- Manufacturing, employment534
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$104,585
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, employment488
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, average annual pay$100,210
- Accommodation and food services, employment422
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$20,488
- Construction, employment244
- Other services, except public administration, employment126
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 873 | 62 | $31,544 |
| Manufacturing | 534 | 7 | $104,585 |
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 488 | 13 | $100,210 |
| Accommodation and food services | 422 | 32 | $20,488 |
| Construction | 244 | 35 | $67,094 |
| Other services, except public administration | 126 | 40 | $18,756 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 122 | 19 | $92,217 |
| Finance and insurance | 90 | 21 | $45,640 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 873 jobs, 17.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Wetzel County
How many businesses are in Wetzel County?
- Establishments, all industries308
- Employment at those establishments3,890
- Annual payroll$174.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.9
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Wetzel County
Building permits in Wetzel County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Wetzel County
SBA loans in Wetzel County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded6
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$730,400
- Median 7(a) approval$618,700
- Largest single approval$2,005,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)21
- Jobs per approval3.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals4
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer16.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter4
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals33.3 percent
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$644,000
- Average 504 approval$322,000
- Median 504 approval$322,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval3.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.3
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$5.0 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wetzel County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Wetzel County
Do SBA loans in Wetzel County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wetzel County
How large is Wetzel County?
- Land area358 sq mi
- Rank by land area among West Virginia counties34th of 55
- Width, east to west29.2 mi
- Height, north to south20.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary8
- Residents per square mile of land39
- Establishments per square mile0.86
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Wetzel County
Flood risk in Wetzel County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Wetzel County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 540207
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book6
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Wetzel County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Wetzel County (community 540207), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Wetzel County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Wetzel County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Wetzel County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202414,078
- Households6,113
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$56,836
- Median age45.3
Common questions
Wetzel County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wetzel County, West Virginia?
The Census Bureau estimates 13,766 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 14,078, in 6,113 households, ranking 38th of 55 West Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Wetzel County's population growing?
The population has fallen 4.79 percent since the 2020 census base of 14,458, to 13,766 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 147 births against 244 deaths, with net migration of -108. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Wetzel County?
$56,836. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $107,900, which is 1.9 times income, and median gross rent is $688 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Wetzel County?
308 establishments, employing 3,890 people with an annual payroll of $174.1 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Wetzel County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 873 jobs, 17.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 4,878 jobs at an average annual pay of $55,398, or $1,065 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Wetzel County?
6 7(a) approvals totaling $4.4 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $618,700, plus 2 504 approvals worth $644,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Wetzel County?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Wetzel County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Wetzel County come from?
The largest single origin is Tyler County, with 63 households. Arriving households report an average income of $37,773 against $70,450 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Wetzel County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Wetzel County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Wetzel County
Cities and places in Wetzel.
8 Census places lie wholly or partly in Wetzel County. All 8 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Martinsville | city | 5,133 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Paden City | city | 2,415 | None recorded | 61.0 percent here, 39.0 percent Tyler County |
| Hundred | town | 371 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Pine Grove | town | 367 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Reader | CDP | 193 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Jacksonburg | CDP | 181 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Smithfield | town | 113 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Littleton | CDP | 89 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |