Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Mercer County, WV

Welcome to Mercer County.

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Mercer County has a population of 59.5 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 420.7 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 19%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $2.1 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Mercer County voted for Republican candidates six out of six times and never voted for a Democratic candidate.

Mercer County comprises Bluefield, WV-VA micropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Princeton.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Bland County, Giles County, Tazewell County, McDowell County, Raleigh County, Summers County, and Wyoming County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
44.22%54.07%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
41.01%58.34%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
35.44%63.01%++
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
25.53%72.62%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
20.47%75.73%+++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
22.11%76.54%+++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%19%
Government
Enterprises
22%34%
Private Industries78%16%
Agriculture1%-26%
Mining2%376%
Utilities1%12%
Construction3%10%
Manufacturing5%18%
– Durable4%19%
– Nondurable1%17%
Trade19%28%
– Wholesale6%17%
– Retail13%33%
Transportation3%18%
Information2%16%
Finance & Insurance3%19%
Real Estate12%6%
Professional &
Business Services
7%0%
Educational Services<1%0%
Healthcare &
Social Services
11%0%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%31%
Accommodation &
Food Services
4%17%
Other Services23%11%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers1063
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
853
📺 Electronics & Appliance443
🛒 Grocery Stores1570
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores442
⚕️ Health & Personal Care1872
⛽ Gasoline Stations2977
👕 Clothing Stores1059
👠 Shoe Stores331
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry
🏸 Sporting Goods548
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers
🏬 Department Stores2382
💐 Florists456
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops333
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies
🍺 Bars & Taverns652
🍽️ Full-service restaurants3975
🍔 Limited-service restaurants3570
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers744
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation2280
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%126%$392,200 N/A
Top 20%53%$202,800 $206,000
Next highest 20%21%$81,600 $100,700
Middle 20%14%$53,100 $66,000
Second lowest 20%8%$32,100 $41,800
Bottom 20%3%$11,900 $22,700
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries59%$79,800
Self-Employment5%$32,500
Investment Income117%$40,000
Social Security43%$22,800
Supplemental Security7%$10,300
Public Assistance3%Below $10,000
Retirement32%$23,600
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%5%10%10%
$25K
– $49K
2%8%7%11%
$50K
– $99K
1%8%9%11%
$100K
– $199K
<1%5%6%2%
$200K
& more
<1%1%1%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$51,300 $24,900
African-American
Hispanic$33,700
Asian
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$34,600 $19,200
Highschool & GED$45,800 $27,000
Some College to
Associate’s
$56,300 $23,900
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$58,900 $45,100
Graduate Degree$85,400 $55,000
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$67,600 $45,900
STEM2$110,300 $39,500
Gray-Collar3$62,900
Pink-Collar4$16,300
Sales5$42,900 $17,600
Blue-Collar6$54,700 $21,800
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves++$
Drought+
Earthquake+$
Hail+$
Heat Waves
Hurricane+$
Ice Storm+
Landslide++$
Lightning++$
Riverine Flooding+++$
Strong Wind++$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+$
Winter Weather++$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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