West Virginia population by age group
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2021
The largest age group in West Virginia was for the group of age 60-64 years with a population of 132,772 (7.37%), according to the 2021 American Community Survey.
At the same time, the smallest age group in West Virginia was the 85+ years with a population of 38,611 (2.14%).
West Virginia population by age cohort
To better understand the age distribution of West Virginia's population, we divided it into the following 3 cohorts:
- Children : Under the age of 18 years
- Adults (working population): Between the age of 18 and 64 years
- Seniors: 65 years and above
Here's the population for each of the three cohorts.
| Age Group | Population | % of Total Population |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 years | 366,495 | 20.35% |
| 18 to 64 years | 1,075,679 | 59.73% |
| 85 years and over | 358,875 | 19.93% |
Key stats for each age cohort as per our analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey:
- West Virginia's population under 18 was 20.35%, compared to the 22.51% nationwide.
- West Virginia's working population (between 18 and 64) was 59.73%, compared to 61.45% nationwide.
- West Virginia's elderly or the senior population (over 65 age) was 19.93% as compared to 16.04% nationwide.
West Virginia population pyramid
Population pyramid for West Virginia is charted below using the estimates from U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. A wide base suggests population increase, narrow base indicates declining birth rates.
Key stats from our analysis of the West Virginia's population pyramid:
- Youth dependency ratio, which is the number of children aged 0-14 per 100 persons aged 15-64, for West Virginia, is 26.5.
- Old-age dependency ratio, which is the number of persons aged 65 or over per 100 persons aged 15-64, for West Virginia, is 31.5.
- Total dependency ratio for West Virginia is 57.9.
- Potential support ratio, which is the number of youth (working age population) per elderly, for West Virginia is 3.2.
Here's the West Virginia's male and female population across different age groups:
| Age Group | Population(Male) | Population(Female) | Total Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | 48,062 | 45,161 | 93,223 |
| 5 to 9 years | 51,311 | 49,064 | 100,375 |
| 10 to 14 years | 56,100 | 51,980 | 108,080 |
| 15 to 19 years | 57,507 | 53,016 | 110,523 |
| 20 to 24 years | 57,373 | 53,561 | 110,934 |
| 25 to 29 years | 55,187 | 52,671 | 107,858 |
| 30 to 34 years | 52,333 | 50,733 | 103,066 |
| 35 to 39 years | 55,333 | 51,589 | 106,922 |
| 40 to 44 years | 55,148 | 55,935 | 111,083 |
| 45 to 49 years | 57,912 | 56,791 | 114,703 |
| 50 to 54 years | 59,391 | 58,578 | 117,969 |
| 55 to 59 years | 61,799 | 62,867 | 124,666 |
| 60 to 64 years | 64,457 | 68,315 | 132,772 |
| 65 to 69 years | 59,310 | 63,148 | 122,458 |
| 70 to 74 years | 45,654 | 49,614 | 95,268 |
| 75 to 79 years | 29,870 | 33,097 | 62,967 |
| 80 to 84 years | 17,114 | 22,457 | 39,571 |
| 85 years and over | 12,862 | 25,749 | 38,611 |