Population 125 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Watoga
Household size in Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.32 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.20 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.78 | 2.44 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.18 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.14 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Watoga is a place of small households, averaging 2.18 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 2.32, 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 Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 47.4 | 41.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 53.3 | 42.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 36.7 | 43.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 54.1 | 43.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +6.7 | +1.9 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 54.1, Watoga 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 Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.4% | 9.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 10.2% | 10.4% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.1% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 2.7% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −10.7 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 2.7% of households in Watoga, 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 Watoga
Renters in Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.0% | 25.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.3% | 27.0% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 20.5% | 26.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 7.2% | 25.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | +5.2 pts | −0.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 7.2% of households in Watoga rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 47.8% have no mortgage at all, 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 Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 45.0% | 15.1% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 36.4% | 15.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 39.0% | 16.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 36.9% | 14.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −8.1 pts | −0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 36.9% of the housing in Watoga, 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 Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1970 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1978 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1981 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1986 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | +7 | +6 | +6 |
Homes in Watoga are newer than the national norm: the median home was built in 1986, versus 1980 across the U.S.
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 Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $350 | $578 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $400 | $657 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $656 | $759 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $715 | $905 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$365 | +$327 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Watoga costs $715 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 15.8% 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 Watoga
Bachelor's degrees in Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.1% | 18.4% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 15.1% | 19.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 2.6% | 21.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 19.8% | 25.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +10.7 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Watoga have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 19.8%, 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 Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 81.5% | 82.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 82.8% | 84.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 75.5% | 87.2% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 85.0% | 89.4% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.5 pts | +6.9 pts | +4.3 pts |
Just over one in seven adults in Watoga never finished high school, more than nationally: 85.0% 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 Watoga
| Period | Watoga | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.0% | 7.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 23.2% | 8.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.9% | 6.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 22.0% | 5.5% | 5.4% |
| Change | +18.0 pts | −1.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Watoga runs well above the national rate: 22.0% 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).
Watoga 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watoga | 2.18 | 54.1 | 2.7% | 7.2% | 36.9% | 1986 | $715 | 19.8% | 85.0% | 22.0% |
| Mill Point | 2.16 | 50.5 | 4.3% | 10.3% | 39.2% | 1983 | $746 | 27.2% | 87.1% | 7.5% |
| Buckeye | 2.18 | 52.2 | 3.7% | 10.1% | 38.2% | 1983 | $739 | 22.7% | 85.9% | 16.2% |
| Campbelltown | 2.19 | 52.4 | 5.0% | 14.0% | 33.5% | 1980 | $735 | 20.8% | 85.0% | 19.1% |
| Marlinton | 2.22 | 49.8 | 8.0% | 25.2% | 31.0% | 1972 | $772 | 22.4% | 85.3% | 14.9% |
| Seebert | 2.16 | 49.5 | 4.9% | 13.7% | 39.8% | 1981 | $761 | 28.4% | 87.5% | 5.2% |
| Onoto | 2.06 | 52.9 | 7.0% | 16.7% | 33.8% | 1981 | $714 | 19.0% | 80.0% | 15.6% |
| Lobelia | 2.15 | 49.7 | 4.7% | 11.5% | 39.7% | 1982 | $753 | 28.8% | 87.5% | 4.5% |
| Woodrow | 1.76 | 56.2 | 6.3% | 10.3% | 58.9% | 1989 | $715 | 13.1% | 68.3% | 12.2% |
| Hillsboro | 2.15 | 49.7 | 4.7% | 11.5% | 39.7% | 1982 | $753 | 28.8% | 87.5% | 4.5% |
| Brownsburg | 2.12 | 51.6 | 8.5% | 21.9% | 25.0% | 1977 | $712 | 20.7% | 82.2% | 14.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Shinewell, OK · Lowell, ME · Lower San Francisco Plaza, NM · Lower Stanley, ID · Lucas, AR · Luke, MD · Luther, TX · Lynchburg, ND · Mabie, CA · Major, VA
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 Watoga. 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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