State
County
Land Area
13.8 sq mi
Density
1,902.7/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
-0.83%
Growth Since 2010
-7.99%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
137,837
Wheeling is a city located in West Virginia. With a 2020 population of 26,210, it is the 5th largest city in West Virginia (after Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, and Parkersburg) and the 1463rd largest city in the United States. Wheeling is currently declining at a rate of -0.83% annually and its population has decreased by -7.99% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 28,486 in 2010. Wheeling reached it's highest population of 61,659 in 1930. Spanning over 16 miles, Wheeling has a population density of 1,903 people per square mile.
The average household income in Wheeling is $67,394 with a poverty rate of 13.84%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $658 per month, and the median house value is $110,100. The median age in Wheeling is 44.2 years, 42.4 years for males, and 46.3 years for females. For every 100 females there are 89.8 males.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Wheeling was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
| Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 137,837 | -1,111 | -0.81% |
| 2019 | 138,948 | -1,111 | -0.80% |
| 2018 | 140,059 | -1,196 | -0.85% |
| 2017 | 141,255 | -1,700 | -1.20% |
| 2016 | 142,955 | -1,202 | -0.84% |
| 2015 | 144,157 | -811 | -0.56% |
| 2014 | 144,968 | -970 | -0.67% |
| 2013 | 145,938 | -589 | -0.40% |
| 2012 | 146,527 | -733 | -0.50% |
| 2011 | 147,260 | -639 | -0.43% |
| 2010 | 147,899 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 24,645 | 91.07% |
| Black or African American | 1,554 | 5.74% |
| Two or More Races | 489 | 1.81% |
| Asian | 199 | 0.74% |
| Some Other Race | 107 | 0.40% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 68 | 0.25% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 11,588 | 2.23 | 62.4 |
| Non Family | 5,709 | 1.18 | 48 |
| Married | 4,137 | 3.14 | 84.7 |
| Female | 1,270 | 3.52 | 56.9 |
| Male | 472 | 3.45 | 56.6 |
3.15
Average Family Size
2.23
Average Household Size
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than 9th Grade | 501 | 2.57% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 1,000 | 5.12% |
| High School Graduate | 6,857 | 35.11% |
| Some College | 3,863 | 19.78% |
| Associates Degree | 1,314 | 6.73% |
| Bachelors Degree | 3,416 | 17.49% |
| Graduate Degree | 2,581 | 13.21% |
| Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 18,142 | 16,760 | 5,656 |
| Black | 830 | 746 | 135 |
| Asian | 180 | 177 | 63 |
| Multiple Races | 177 | 164 | 55 |
| Hispanic | 128 | 117 | 41 |
| Other Race | 79 | 73 | 54 |
| Native American | 32 | 24 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among asian people with a rate of 98.33%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among other race people with a rate of 68.35%.
$33,003
Average Earnings
$40,763
Average Male
$28,489
Average Female
97.85% of Wheeling residents speak only English, while 2.15% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 0.86% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 23,295 | 2,899 | 12.44% |
| Black | 1,511 | 476 | 31.50% |
| Hispanic | 260 | 79 | 30.38% |
| Multiple | 446 | 50 | 11.21% |
| Asian | 199 | 50 | 25.13% |
| Native | 68 | 20 | 29.41% |
13.84%
Overall Poverty Rate
10.94%
Male Poverty Rate
16.53%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Wheeling is Black, with 31.50% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Wheeling is Multiple, with 11.21% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.61%. Among those working part-time, it was 18.91%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 23.92%.
39.6%
Overall Marriage Rate
43.9%
Male Marriage Rate
35.8%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,736 | 8.62% |
| Black | 71 | 6.87% |
9.90%
Veteran Poverty Rate
35.72%
Veteran Disability Rate
56.3%
Labor Force Participation
52.5%
Employment Rate
6.6%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
98.16%
Native Born
1.84%
Foreign Born
0.44%
Non Citizen
1.40%
Naturalized
98.16% of Wheeling residents were born in the United States, with 70.34% having been born in West Virginia. 0.44% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 26,210 | -220 | -0.83% |
| 2019 | 26,430 | -220 | -0.83% |
| 2018 | 26,650 | -213 | -0.79% |
| 2017 | 26,863 | -424 | -1.55% |
| 2016 | 27,287 | -215 | -0.78% |
| 2015 | 27,502 | -102 | -0.37% |
| 2014 | 27,604 | -301 | -1.08% |
| 2013 | 27,905 | -136 | -0.49% |
| 2012 | 28,041 | -139 | -0.49% |
| 2011 | 28,180 | -196 | -0.69% |
| 2010 | 28,376 | -3,043 | -1.01% |
| 2000 | 31,419 | -3,463 | -1.04% |
| 1990 | 34,882 | -8,188 | -2.09% |
| 1980 | 43,070 | -5,118 | -1.12% |
| 1970 | 48,188 | -5,212 | -1.02% |
| 1960 | 53,400 | -5,491 | -0.97% |
| 1950 | 58,891 | -2,208 | -0.37% |
| 1940 | 61,099 | -560 | -0.09% |
| 1930 | 61,659 | 5,451 | 0.93% |
| 1920 | 56,208 | 14,567 | 3.05% |
| 1910 | 41,641 | 2,763 | 0.69% |
| 1900 | 38,878 | 4,356 | 1.20% |
| 1890 | 34,522 | 3,785 | 1.17% |
| 1880 | 30,737 | 11,457 | 4.77% |
| 1870 | 19,280 | 5,197 | 3.19% |
| 1860 | 14,083 | 2,648 | 2.10% |
| 1850 | 11,435 | 3,550 | 3.79% |
| 1840 | 7,885 | 0.00% |