HomeWest VirginiaWayne County
Wayne County, West Virginia: commercial real estate data.
Wayne County, West Virginia has a population of 38,164 across 506 square miles, down 3.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.35 bn in 2024, 434 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 9 7(a) approvals worth $10.4 m.
108 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Wayne County
How many people live in Wayne County
- Population38,164
- Households15,762
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$58,878
- Median age44.8
- Median gross rent$915 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$127,100
- Home value to household income2.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher19.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over27,532
- Population under 187,783
- Share under 1820.4 percent
- Population 65 and over8,485
- Share 65 and over22.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6421,896
- Civilian labor force15,921
- Unemployment rate4.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over52.4 percent
- Rank by population among West Virginia counties14th of 55
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1248th
Wayne County is the 14th largest of 55 West Virginia counties by population. A median home costs 2.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 22.2 percent against 20.4 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wayne County
Is Wayne County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-3.57 percent
- Census 2020 base population38,980
- Births, 2024380
- Deaths, 2024565
- Natural change, 2024-185
- Net domestic migration, 2024-25
- Net international migration, 202420
- Total net migration, 2024-5
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-405
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2832nd
The county has lost 3.57 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Wayne County
Where people moving to Wayne County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving705
- People arriving, from those returns1,323
- Adjusted gross income arriving$29.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$41,494
- Largest single originWayne County Non-migrants (12,584 households)
- Largest single destination (12,584 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County Non-migrants | 12,584 | 26,698 | $723.2 m |
| Cabell County | 269 | 495 | $10.3 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 222 | 422 | $10.0 m |
| Other flows - South | 163 | 315 | $7.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 67 | 130 | $2.9 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 59 | 107 | $2.7 m |
| Lawrence County | 39 | 71 | $1.9 m |
| Lawrence County | 32 | 64 | $1.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Wayne 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.
Wayne County
What the Wayne County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.35 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.26 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.3 percent
- GDP change over five years32.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among West Virginia counties19th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1598th
- GDP per resident$35,306
Output grew 7.3 percent in the latest year and 32.0 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.
Wayne County
Who employs people in Wayne County
- Covered employment, annual average8,494
- Establishments reporting704
- Average annual pay$59,886
- Average weekly wage$1,152
- Sector 44-45, employment841
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$30,266
- Sector 31-33, employment780
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$72,892
- Sector 72, employment422
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,203
- Sector 23, employment380
- Sector 23, average annual pay$64,398
- Sector 48-49, employment374
- Sector 71, employment210
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 841 | 90 | $30,266 |
| Sector 31-33 | 780 | 22 | $72,892 |
| Sector 72 | 422 | 34 | $19,203 |
| Sector 23 | 380 | 65 | $64,398 |
| Sector 48-49 | 374 | 30 | $65,934 |
| Sector 71 | 210 | 24 | $17,959 |
| Sector 54 | 145 | 56 | $59,028 |
| Sector 81 | 129 | 38 | $38,037 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 841 jobs, 9.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Wayne County
What businesses operate in Wayne County
- Establishments, all industries434
- Employment at those establishments6,343
- Annual payroll$339.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents11.4
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.
Wayne County
What is being built in Wayne County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202468
- Declared construction value permitted$5.4 m
- Single family units authorised68
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$79,608
- Units authorised per 1,000 households4.3
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Wayne County
How much SBA lending happens in Wayne County
- 7(a) approvals recorded9
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$10.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,154,344
- Median 7(a) approval$250,000
- 10th percentile approval$40,600
- 90th percentile approval$4,750,000
- Largest single approval$4,750,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)127
- Jobs per approval14.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals6
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer22.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter6
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBoat Dealers (2)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (4)
The average approval of $1,154,344 sits well above the median of $250,000, 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 22.2 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.
Wayne County
Do SBA loans in Wayne County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure6
- Status: Cancelled1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 2 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.
Wayne County
Which parts of Wayne County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- KENOVA, approvals4
- Lavalette, approvals2
- Huntington, approvals2
- Hurricane, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| KENOVA | 4 | $2,388,500 |
| Lavalette | 2 | $5,000,000 |
| Huntington | 2 | $2,290,600 |
| Hurricane | 1 | $710,000 |
KENOVA accounts for 4 approvals against 2 in Lavalette. 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.
Wayne County
How big is Wayne County
- Land area506 sq mi
- Rank by land area among West Virginia counties15th of 55
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south39.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land75
- 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.
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 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population38,164
- Households15,762
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$58,878
- Median age44.8
Common questions
Wayne County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wayne County, West Virginia?
38,164, in 15,762 households, ranking 14th of 55 West Virginia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Wayne County growing?
The population has fallen 3.57 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 380 births against 565 deaths, with net migration of -5. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Wayne County?
$58,878. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $127,100, which is 2.2 times income, and median gross rent is $915 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Wayne County?
434 establishments, employing 6,343 people with an annual payroll of $339.0 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 Wayne County?
Average annual pay is $59,886, or $1,152 a week, across 8,494 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Wayne County?
9 7(a) approvals totalling $10.4 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $250,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Wayne County?
68 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $5.4 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Wayne County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 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 Wayne County come from?
The largest single origin is Wayne County Non-migrants, with 12,584 households. Arriving households report an average income of $41,494 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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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.