Reader, WV Demographics

Population 630 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Reader, WV map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Reader

Household size in Reader

Household size, people per household
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–102.542.442.68
2010–142.472.452.73
2015–193.012.442.71
2020–242.162.432.65
Change−0.38−0.01−0.03
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Reader is a place of small households, averaging 2.16 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has dropped from 2.54 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

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 Reader

Median age, years
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–1040.941.437.7
2010–1446.642.238.6
2015–1948.543.139.6
2020–2447.443.240.1
Change+6.5+1.9+2.3
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With a median age of 47.4, Reader 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 Reader

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–108.8%9.7%12.3%
2010–147.5%10.4%12.3%
2015–198.1%10.6%11.6%
2020–2410.0%10.4%11.6%
Change+1.1 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single-parent households are a bit less common in Reader than nationally: 10.0%, against 11.6%. The picture is much the same across West Virginia.

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 Reader

Renters in Reader

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–1011.1%25.4%33.3%
2010–1411.5%27.0%35.6%
2015–192.1%26.8%36.0%
2020–249.9%25.1%34.8%
Change−1.2 pts−0.3 pts+1.5 pts
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Only 9.9% of households in Reader rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 74.3% 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 Reader

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–107.2%15.1%11.4%
2010–1410.6%15.0%11.4%
2015–1934.5%16.8%11.1%
2020–246.4%14.9%9.6%
Change−0.8 pts−0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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Fewer homes sit empty in Reader than nationally: 6.4%, against 9.6% for the U.S.

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 Reader

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–10197519701974
2010–14196819731975
2015–19196919741977
2020–24196619761980
Change−9+6+6
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Reader is a place of older homes: half were built before 1966, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating.

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 Reader

Rent, per month
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–10$575$578$965
2010–14$489$657$1,040
2015–19$567$759$1,213
2020–24$640$905$1,571
Change+$65+$327+$606
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Rent in Reader runs $640 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 23.8% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.

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 Reader

Bachelor's degrees in Reader

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–1011.2%18.4%28.4%
2010–146.0%19.7%29.6%
2015–199.6%21.4%32.1%
2020–244.0%25.0%35.6%
Change−7.2 pts+6.6 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are relatively uncommon in Reader: 4.0% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.

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 Reader

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–1081.1%82.5%84.9%
2010–1489.9%84.8%86.1%
2015–1980.0%87.2%87.7%
2020–2482.3%89.4%89.3%
Change+1.2 pts+6.9 pts+4.3 pts
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Just over one in six adults in Reader never finished high school, well above the national share: only 82.3% 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 Reader

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodReaderWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–107.5%7.2%8.1%
2010–148.5%8.2%9.4%
2015–191.5%6.7%5.6%
2020–2410.5%5.5%5.4%
Change+3.0 pts−1.6 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Reader runs well above the national rate: 10.5% 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).

Reader compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Reader2.1647.410.0%9.9%6.4%1966$6404.0%82.3%10.5%
Minnie2.3549.96.1%7.8%16.8%1968$68219.8%91.8%6.3%
Conaway2.1150.86.7%6.6%17.4%1963$71511.9%77.4%6.2%
Hastings2.3537.715.1%26.5%18.7%1969$5818.1%89.0%8.3%
Four Mile2.8035.624.5%9.9%18.1%1963$6592.9%91.2%6.9%
Green Hill2.2549.86.0%11.9%15.8%1981$81013.4%88.6%5.1%
Jacksonburg2.2740.014.1%22.7%20.5%1967$61210.2%85.4%6.9%
Iuka3.1240.46.5%6.5%18.5%1976$7527.7%90.5%1.4%
Newdale2.5749.57.7%7.8%27.8%1972$7082.5%91.1%7.1%
Kingstown2.9229.529.6%14.5%12.1%1968$6403.3%88.5%5.3%
Dale2.1243.513.0%16.6%24.3%1962$66414.0%78.6%3.7%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Mooar, IA · Riverside, SD · Reeves, LA · Orffs Corner, ME · Opelika, TX · Oneida, KY · New Limerick, ME · New Freeport, PA · Mount Vernon Club Place, CO · Mount Carmel, MS

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 Reader. 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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