Sistersville, WV Demographics

Population 2,686 · Census ACS 2020–24

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

Household size in Sistersville

Household size, people per household
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–102.412.442.68
2010–142.402.452.73
2015–192.842.442.71
2020–242.442.432.65
Change+0.04−0.01−0.03
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Households in Sistersville run small, averaging 2.44 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. The picture is much the same across West Virginia.

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 Sistersville

Median age, years
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–1043.741.437.7
2010–1444.242.238.6
2015–1946.643.139.6
2020–2445.943.240.1
Change+2.3+1.9+2.3
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Sistersville skews older: half of its residents are older than 45.9, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. The median age has climbed from 43.7 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

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 Sistersville

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–108.6%9.7%12.3%
2010–1410.5%10.4%12.3%
2015–1911.3%10.6%11.6%
2020–247.7%10.4%11.6%
Change−0.9 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 7.7% of households in Sistersville, well below the national share of 11.6%.

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 Sistersville

Renters in Sistersville

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–1021.6%25.4%33.3%
2010–1420.3%27.0%35.6%
2015–1920.9%26.8%36.0%
2020–2423.3%25.1%34.8%
Change+1.7 pts−0.3 pts+1.5 pts
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Only 23.3% of households in Sistersville rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. The picture is much the same across West Virginia. More than half of owners (53.6%) 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 Sistersville

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–1019.6%15.1%11.4%
2010–1414.4%15.0%11.4%
2015–1923.9%16.8%11.1%
2020–2419.9%14.9%9.6%
Change+0.3 pts−0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacant homes make up 19.9% of the housing in Sistersville, 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 Sistersville

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–10195619701974
2010–14196119731975
2015–19196219741977
2020–24196219761980
Change+7+6+6
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Sistersville is a place of older homes: half were built before 1962, 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 Sistersville

Rent, per month
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–10$575$578$965
2010–14$645$657$1,040
2015–19$691$759$1,213
2020–24$742$905$1,571
Change+$167+$327+$606
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The median renter in Sistersville pays $742 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 31.5% of the typical renter's income, just over 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 Sistersville

Bachelor's degrees in Sistersville

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–109.1%18.4%28.4%
2010–1412.6%19.7%29.6%
2015–1918.3%21.4%32.1%
2020–2413.5%25.0%35.6%
Change+4.5 pts+6.6 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are relatively uncommon in Sistersville: 13.5% 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 Sistersville

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–1085.6%82.5%84.9%
2010–1488.5%84.8%86.1%
2015–1988.3%87.2%87.7%
2020–2490.8%89.4%89.3%
Change+5.2 pts+6.9 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion in Sistersville is a bit above the national rate: 90.8% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. That is in line with the rest of West Virginia.

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 Sistersville

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodSistersvilleWest VirginiaU.S.
2006–109.8%7.2%8.1%
2010–149.4%8.2%9.4%
2015–199.2%6.7%5.6%
2020–249.5%5.5%5.4%
Change−0.3 pts−1.6 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Sistersville runs well above the national rate: 9.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. 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).

Sistersville compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Sistersville2.4445.97.7%23.3%19.9%1962$74213.5%90.8%9.5%
Fly2.5347.01.1%8.3%33.5%1990$52415.4%97.3%0.2%
Paden City2.5641.97.8%14.0%14.4%1958$69917.7%94.5%4.6%
Matamoras2.2038.810.2%43.5%15.7%1964$5976.9%86.2%12.9%
Little1.3867.07.2%16.7%20.0%1990$75237.9%100.0%0.0%
Friendly2.5644.414.6%17.3%18.2%1987$71218.7%95.7%16.8%
Sardis2.1752.32.0%12.4%21.4%1979$56915.5%96.3%1.3%
New Matamoras2.4741.07.6%32.1%22.2%1972$5146.7%90.2%8.0%
Bridgeway2.0552.46.6%18.9%21.9%1971$72624.9%93.4%6.6%
Middlebourne2.4747.66.1%14.0%21.9%1972$73818.2%91.7%5.1%
Shiloh2.6041.414.9%19.7%18.9%1991$75123.7%95.2%19.0%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Delavan Lake, WI · Orrtanna, PA · Hickman, KY · Adrian, MO · Jane Lew, WV · Milan, MO · Madison Park, NJ · Vermontville, MI · Spring Valley, WI · Rush, NY

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 Sistersville. 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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