Population 1,127 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Central Station
Household size in Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.24 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.03 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.30 | 2.44 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.20 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.04 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Central Station is a place of small households, averaging 2.20 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children.
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 Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.2 | 41.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 34.4 | 42.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 36.6 | 43.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 41.4 | 43.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | −1.8 | +1.9 | +2.3 |
At 41.4, the median age in Central Station is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. The population here is younger than in West Virginia overall, where the median age is 43.2. Since 2006–10, the median age has dropped from 43.2, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
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 Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 26.1% | 9.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 17.3% | 10.4% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.1% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 18.6% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −7.5 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in Central Station: 18.6% of all 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 Central Station
Renters in Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.1% | 25.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 25.3% | 27.0% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 4.9% | 26.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 1.6% | 25.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −26.5 pts | −0.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Central Station is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 1.6% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among owners, 96.3% have paid off their mortgages, 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 Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.9% | 15.1% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 34.2% | 15.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 48.1% | 16.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 18.5% | 14.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | +3.6 pts | −0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Central Station: 18.5% of homes are empty, 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 Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1949 | 1970 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1970 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1972 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1976 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | +27 | +6 | +6 |
The typical home in Central Station was built around 1976, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980).
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 Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $545 | $578 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $590 | $657 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $336 | $759 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $925 | $905 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$380 | +$327 | +$606 |
The median renter in Central Station pays $925 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. That is in line with the rest of West Virginia. The typical renter here spends 40.3% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
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 Central Station
Bachelor's degrees in Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.8% | 18.4% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 2.7% | 19.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 6.8% | 21.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 10.9% | 25.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.0 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Central Station have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 10.9%, 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 Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 59.1% | 82.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 79.4% | 84.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 78.2% | 87.2% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 78.3% | 89.4% | 89.3% |
| Change | +19.2 pts | +6.9 pts | +4.3 pts |
More than one in five adults in Central Station never finished high school, well above the national share: only 78.3% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.
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 Central Station
| Period | Central Station | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.1% | 7.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 1.6% | 8.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.9% | 6.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 21.6% | 5.5% | 5.4% |
| Change | +18.5 pts | −1.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Central Station runs well above the national rate: 21.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Central Station 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Station | 2.20 | 41.4 | 18.6% | 1.6% | 18.5% | 1976 | $925 | 10.9% | 78.3% | 21.6% |
| Greenwood | 2.35 | 42.8 | 15.8% | 6.2% | 20.2% | 1976 | $905 | 11.7% | 82.0% | 14.9% |
| Joy | 2.62 | 46.1 | 10.4% | 14.2% | 17.5% | 1981 | $806 | 17.0% | 86.6% | 0.0% |
| West Union | 2.69 | 45.7 | 11.1% | 15.6% | 22.0% | 1964 | $894 | 14.7% | 85.8% | 3.9% |
| Toll Gate | 2.63 | 38.4 | 8.5% | 22.2% | 15.7% | 1980 | $717 | 19.0% | 78.3% | 1.9% |
| Oxford | 2.60 | 45.5 | 9.8% | 16.1% | 15.1% | 1982 | $754 | 19.0% | 84.6% | 0.0% |
| Blandville | 2.43 | 49.8 | 7.8% | 20.6% | 21.3% | 1984 | $866 | 18.1% | 92.0% | 6.8% |
| Pennsboro | 2.59 | 37.2 | 8.0% | 16.7% | 18.0% | 1975 | $715 | 13.5% | 79.5% | 5.0% |
| Porto Rico | 2.61 | 48.0 | 11.0% | 12.7% | 22.5% | 1979 | $911 | 13.8% | 91.4% | 1.6% |
| Wilbur | 2.57 | 48.1 | 5.1% | 5.3% | 28.3% | 1971 | $758 | 16.2% | 88.5% | 3.8% |
| Canton | 2.36 | 51.7 | 19.4% | 20.0% | 30.5% | 1982 | $868 | 12.8% | 81.8% | 1.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Weyerhaeuser, WI · Doon, IA · Donnelsville, OH · Dayton Center, MI · Emmet, AR · Munds Park, AZ · Medford, OK · Maysville, OH · Alden, IA · Wildersville, TN
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 Central Station. 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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