Population 46 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Canaan
Household size in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1.89 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.76 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 1.63 | 2.44 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 1.80 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.09 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Canaan is a place of small households, averaging 1.80 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 1.89, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 57.2 | 41.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 47.6 | 42.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 63.9 | 43.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 60.8 | 43.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +3.6 | +1.9 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 60.8, Canaan is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.3% | 9.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.1% | 10.4% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 8.0% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 1.9% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.4 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Canaan: 1.9% of households, against 11.6% nationally.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Canaan
Renters in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.7% | 25.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.3% | 27.0% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 0.2% | 26.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 10.5% | 25.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | +4.8 pts | −0.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 10.5% of households in Canaan rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 70.6% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 41.0% | 15.1% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 51.4% | 15.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 15.6% | 16.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 19.9% | 14.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −21.1 pts | −0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 19.9% of the housing in Canaan, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1972 | 1970 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1978 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1976 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1982 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | +10 | +6 | +6 |
The typical home in Canaan was built around 1982, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are newer than in West Virginia as a whole, where the median home dates to 1976.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $507 | $578 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $547 | $657 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $760 | $759 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $967 | $905 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$460 | +$327 | +$606 |
Rent in Canaan runs $967 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Still, rents here are higher than in West Virginia overall ($905). Rent takes 14.5% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Canaan
Bachelor's degrees in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.5% | 18.4% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 13.4% | 19.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.3% | 21.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 11.1% | 25.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | −5.4 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Canaan have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 11.1%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 68.8% | 82.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 75.5% | 84.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 75.4% | 87.2% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 86.4% | 89.4% | 89.3% |
| Change | +17.6 pts | +6.9 pts | +4.3 pts |
Nearly one in seven adults in Canaan never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 86.4% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Canaan
| Period | Canaan | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.4% | 7.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.9% | 8.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.3% | 6.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 0.0% | 5.5% | 5.4% |
| Change | −8.4 pts | −1.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
The survey found almost no one in Canaan out of work and looking, against 5.4% of the labor force nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Canaan compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canaan | 1.80 | 60.8 | 1.9% | 10.5% | 19.9% | 1982 | $967 | 11.1% | 86.4% | 0.0% |
| Eden | 1.80 | 60.8 | 1.9% | 10.5% | 19.9% | 1982 | $967 | 11.1% | 86.4% | 0.0% |
| Gaines | 1.86 | 59.8 | 3.1% | 10.6% | 20.2% | 1982 | $967 | 11.0% | 86.5% | 0.7% |
| Zion | 2.84 | 40.7 | 1.6% | 12.4% | 25.5% | 1989 | $959 | 13.8% | 84.7% | 5.9% |
| Selbyville | 2.48 | 44.5 | 8.4% | 15.4% | 32.7% | 1981 | $762 | 12.2% | 81.5% | 3.1% |
| Kanawha Head | 1.80 | 60.8 | 1.9% | 10.5% | 19.9% | 1982 | $967 | 11.1% | 86.4% | 0.0% |
| Rock Cave | 2.31 | 51.4 | 12.1% | 11.3% | 22.4% | 1979 | $965 | 10.7% | 87.1% | 5.9% |
| Cleveland | 2.26 | 53.2 | 10.3% | 18.1% | 45.2% | 1971 | $769 | 11.7% | 80.4% | 18.9% |
| Wilsontown | 2.42 | 49.5 | 15.4% | 11.5% | 22.9% | 1977 | $967 | 10.4% | 87.5% | 7.5% |
| Carter | 2.69 | 44.3 | 13.0% | 12.0% | 24.4% | 1980 | $967 | 11.5% | 86.8% | 8.4% |
| Wheeler | 2.26 | 53.4 | 10.4% | 18.3% | 46.3% | 1971 | $766 | 11.6% | 80.1% | 19.6% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Durkee, OR · Shell Beach, CA · Shields, KS · Shin Pond, ME · Silver City, MI · Silver, TX · East Putney, VT · Sims, ND · East Brooklyn, IL · Skwentna, AK
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Canaan. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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