Mercer County, West Virginia
Population 58,563 · Bluefield, Princeton, Athens
- Overall cost of living: −13% vs the US average, lower than 66% of US counties.
- Life expectancy: 68.9 yrs, lower than 97% of US counties.
- Hot days (90°F+): 3 days, lower than 93% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−13% | lower than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of West Virginia outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $121,700 | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Median rent | $810 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $196/mo | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $8,587/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.54% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.12% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $656 | lower than 92% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $53,210 | lower than 82% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -0.3% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 289.5 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈179 days | lower than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 82°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| January low | 23°F | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 24 in | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 3 days | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 125 days | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 2.4% of weeks | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈60.5°F | lower than 65% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 42.4 in | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $124/yr | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $115/yr | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.44/yr | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $4.4/yr | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.7/yr | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.45/yr | lower than 53% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7 µg/m³ | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 216.7 mi | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,352.6 ft | higher than 80% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 88.6% | lower than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 22.9% | higher than 53% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 8.2% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 7 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.9:1 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.76 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.3 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.66 | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 0.7 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 49/100k | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 4 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 68.9 yrs | lower than 97% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.5% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 170/100k | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 45/100k | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 136.9/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 57.9% | lower than 61% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 51 min | lower than 58% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 192 min | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.5% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.5% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 6.6% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 134 min | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 36 per sq mi | higher than 66% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 4.6 per 1k | higher than 88% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 10.5 per 1k | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Population | 58,563 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Median age | 43.5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +0.7 per 1k/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 20.6% Dem | lower than 72% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 77.9% Rep | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.5% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % White | 88.6% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 1.3% | lower than 93% of US counties |
| % Black | 4.1% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.2% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.4% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 5.2% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 28 parks | lower than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 12.8 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5.8 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 32 min | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.4% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 18 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 8 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,245 km | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 6 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 14 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 4 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 52 km | higher than 74% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data