HomeWest VirginiaJefferson County
Jefferson County, West Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Jefferson County, West Virginia has a population of 59,260 across 210 square miles, up 6.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.04 bn in 2024, 976 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 43 7(a) approvals worth $25.9 m.
121 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Jefferson County
How many people live in Jefferson County
- Population59,260
- Households22,804
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$98,806
- Median age41.0
- Median gross rent$1,108 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$350,800
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher33.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree12.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over41,599
- Population under 1812,512
- Share under 1821.1 percent
- Population 65 and over10,262
- Share 65 and over17.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6436,486
- Civilian labor force31,079
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over66.5 percent
- Rank by population among West Virginia counties8th of 55
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents904th
Jefferson County is the 8th largest of 55 West Virginia counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.1 percent against 17.3 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Jefferson County
Is Jefferson County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base6.17 percent
- Census 2020 base population57,703
- Births, 2024572
- Deaths, 2024580
- Natural change, 2024-8
- Net domestic migration, 20241,368
- Net international migration, 2024169
- Total net migration, 20241,537
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20243,205
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents388th
The county has grown 6.17 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Jefferson County
Where people moving to Jefferson County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,068
- People arriving, from those returns3,688
- Adjusted gross income arriving$170.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$82,352
- Largest single originJefferson County Non-migrants (21,624 households)
- Largest single destination (21,624 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County Non-migrants | 21,624 | 44,403 | $1.95 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 797 | 1,467 | $75.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 480 | 882 | $40.5 m |
| Berkeley County | 385 | 687 | $19.7 m |
| Loudoun County | 249 | 470 | $23.8 m |
| Other flows - West | 134 | 248 | $13.1 m |
| Frederick County | 133 | 234 | $10.4 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 129 | 229 | $16.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Jefferson County Non-migrants, 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.
Jefferson County
What the Jefferson County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.04 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.64 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 202414.9 percent
- GDP change over five years61.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among West Virginia counties12th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents972nd
- GDP per resident$51,249
Output grew 14.9 percent in the latest year and 61.4 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.
Jefferson County
Who employs people in Jefferson County
- Covered employment, annual average17,087
- Establishments reporting2,314
- Average annual pay$61,812
- Average weekly wage$1,189
- Sector 72, employment3,216
- Sector 72, average annual pay$30,210
- Sector 44-45, employment1,972
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,561
- Sector 62, employment1,595
- Sector 62, average annual pay$72,702
- Sector 54, employment1,087
- Sector 54, average annual pay$93,090
- Sector 61, employment678
- Sector 56, employment638
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 3,216 | 147 | $30,210 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,972 | 176 | $32,561 |
| Sector 62 | 1,595 | 226 | $72,702 |
| Sector 54 | 1,087 | 590 | $93,090 |
| Sector 61 | 678 | 52 | $54,751 |
| Sector 56 | 638 | 198 | $62,569 |
| Sector 31-33 | 615 | 44 | $58,320 |
| Sector 23 | 557 | 133 | $66,813 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,216 jobs, 18.8 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Jefferson County
What businesses operate in Jefferson County
- Establishments, all industries976
- Employment at those establishments13,457
- Annual payroll$563.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Jefferson County
What is being built in Jefferson County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024990
- Declared construction value permitted$233.7 m
- Single family units authorised776
- Multifamily units authorised214
- Multifamily share of units21.6 percent
- Average declared value per unit$236,033
- Units authorised per 1,000 households43.4
Multifamily is 21.6 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Jefferson County
How much SBA lending happens in Jefferson County
- 7(a) approvals recorded43
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$25.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$601,758
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,235,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)540
- Jobs per approval12.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active22
- Distinct industries receiving approvals27
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer16.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms7
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter35
- Franchise loans6
- Franchise share of approvals14.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countExterminating and Pest Control Services (5)
- Most active lenderPotomac Bank (12)
- 504 approvals recorded7
- 504 gross approval dollars$2.0 m
- Average 504 approval$283,286
- Median 504 approval$280,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval7.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved25.2
- Most active CDCBusiness Finance Group, Inc. (7)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals86.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$27.9 m
The average approval of $601,758 sits well above the median of $150,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 16.3 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
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.
Jefferson County
Do SBA loans in Jefferson County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded6
- Paid in full6
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled8
- Status: Paid in full6
- Status: Exempt from disclosure25
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 6 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
Which parts of Jefferson County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending7
- CHARLES TOWN, approvals16
- Kearneysville, approvals10
- HARPERS FERRY, approvals6
- SHEPHERDSTOWN, approvals5
- Ranson, approvals4
- SHENANDOAH JUNCTION, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| CHARLES TOWN | 16 | $10,735,500 |
| Kearneysville | 10 | $1,253,000 |
| HARPERS FERRY | 6 | $10,013,200 |
| SHEPHERDSTOWN | 5 | $2,760,000 |
| Ranson | 4 | $818,900 |
| SHENANDOAH JUNCTION | 1 | $25,000 |
| BLUEMONT | 1 | $270,000 |
CHARLES TOWN accounts for 16 approvals against 10 in Kearneysville. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
How big is Jefferson County
- Land area210 sq mi
- Rank by land area among West Virginia counties50th of 55
- Width, east to west16.8 mi
- Height, north to south25 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary1
- Residents per square mile of land282
- Establishments per square mile4.65
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.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Jefferson 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 Jefferson County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population59,260
- Households22,804
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$98,806
- Median age41.0
Common questions
Jefferson County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Jefferson County, West Virginia?
59,260, in 22,804 households, ranking 8th of 55 West Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Jefferson County growing?
The population has grown 6.17 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 572 births against 580 deaths, with net migration of 1,537. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Jefferson County?
$98,806. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $350,800, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $1,108 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Jefferson County?
976 establishments, employing 13,457 people with an annual payroll of $563.6 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Jefferson County?
Average annual pay is $61,812, or $1,189 a week, across 17,087 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Jefferson County?
43 7(a) approvals totalling $25.9 m since FY2020, across 22 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 7 504 approvals worth $2.0 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Jefferson County?
990 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $233.7 m. Multifamily was 21.6 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Jefferson 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 Jefferson County come from?
The largest single origin is Jefferson County Non-migrants, with 21,624 households. Arriving households report an average income of $82,352 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Jefferson 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 Jefferson County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.