Preston County, West Virginia

Preston County, West Virginia

Preston County Courthouse
Map of West Virginia highlighting Preston County
Location in the U.S. state of West Virginia
Map of the United States highlighting West Virginia
West Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded January 19, 1818
Named for James Patton Preston
Seat Kingwood
Largest city Kingwood
Area
 • Total 651 sq mi (1,686 km2)
 • Land 649 sq mi (1,681 km2)
 • Water 2.6 sq mi (7 km2), 0.4%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 33,940
 • Density 52/sq mi (20/km²)
Congressional district 1st
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.prestoncountywv.org

Preston County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,520.[1] Its county seat is Kingwood.[2] The county was formed from Monongalia County in 1818 and named for Virginia Governor James Patton Preston.[3]

Preston County is part of the Morgantown, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Pittsburgh DMA. It is the home of The Buckwheat Festival, a county fair known for making buckwheat cakes.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 651 square miles (1,690 km2), of which 649 square miles (1,680 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.4%) is water.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

State parks

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18203,422—
18305,14450.3%
18406,86633.5%
185011,70870.5%
186013,31213.7%
187014,5559.3%
188019,09131.2%
189020,3556.6%
190022,72711.7%
191026,34115.9%
192027,9966.3%
193029,0433.7%
194030,4164.7%
195031,3993.2%
196027,233−13.3%
197025,455−6.5%
198030,46019.7%
199029,037−4.7%
200029,3341.0%
201033,52014.3%
Est. 201533,940[5]1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2015[1]

2000 census

As of the 2010 census,[10] there were 33,520 people, 12,895 households, and 9,038 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 15,097 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.63% White (97.13% non-Hispanic), 1.08% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

There were 12,895 households out of which 29.03% included children under the age of 18, 56.10% were married couples living together, 9.07% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.92% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.91% were non-families. 24.63% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.84.

The age distribution was 19.55% under the age of 18, 7.36% from 18 to 24, 27.58% from 25 to 44, 29.83% from 45 to 64, and 15.68% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.63 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.48 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,866, and the median income for a family was $48,942. Full-time male workers had a median income of $41,073 versus $25,911 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,796. About 8.3% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 33,520 people, 12,895 households, and 9,038 families residing in the county.[11] The population density was 51.7 inhabitants per square mile (20.0/km2). There were 15,097 housing units at an average density of 23.3 per square mile (9.0/km2).[12] The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 1.1% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 29.4% were German, 14.3% were Irish, 9.5% were American, and 8.9% were English.[13]

Of the 12,895 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 42.0 years.[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $40,753 and the median income for a family was $46,622. Males had a median income of $38,713 versus $25,808 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,329. About 10.1% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.[14]

Politics

Presidential election results[15]
Year Republican Democrat
2016 74.72% 9,501 19.36% 2,462
2012 70.54% 7,889 26.21% 2,931
2008 62.10% 7,325 35.65% 4,205
2004 65.85% 7,855 33.22% 3,963
2000 63.29% 6,607 33.67% 3,515

Communities

City

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ West Virginia Counties. Wvculture.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-24.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  10. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  11. 1 2 3 "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  12. ↑ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  13. ↑ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  14. ↑ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  15. ↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved 2016-11-18.

Further reading

 Monongalia County Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Taylor County Garrett County, Maryland
   Preston County, West Virginia  
Barbour County Tucker County Grant County

Coordinates: 39°28′N 79°40′W / 39.47°N 79.67°W / 39.47; -79.67

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