Mercer County, West Virginia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Mercer County
U.S. county
The Mercer County Courthouse in Princeton in 2007
Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Founded	March 17, 1837
Seat	Princeton
Largest city	Bluefield
Area
• Total	421 sq mi (1,090 km²)
• Land	419 sq mi (1,090 km²)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4 km²) 0.4%%
Population (2010)
• Total	62,264
• Estimate (2019)	58,758
• Density	147.90/sq mi (57.10/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Mercer County is a county on the southeastern border of the U.S. state of West Virginia. At the 2010 census, the population was 62,264. Its county seat is Princeton. The county was originally established in the State of Virginia by act of its General Assembly on March 17, 1837, using lands taken from Giles and Tazewell counties.

Mercer County is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Communities
Education
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 421 square miles (1,090 km²), of which 419 square miles (1,090 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

I‑73 (future)
I‑74 (future)
Interstate 77
U.S. Highway 19
U.S. Highway 52
U.S. Highway 460

West Virginia Route 10
West Virginia Route 20
West Virginia Route 44
West Virginia Route 71
West Virginia Route 112

The West Virginia Turnpike, now part of Interstate 77, begins in Princeton.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Bluestone National Scenic River (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	2,233	—
1850	4,222	89.1%
1860	6,819	61.5%
1870	7,064	3.6%
1880	7,467	5.7%
1890	16,002	114.3%
1900	23,023	43.9%
1910	38,371	66.7%
1920	49,558	29.2%
1930	61,323	23.7%
1940	68,289	11.4%
1950	75,013	9.8%
1960	68,206	−9.1%
1970	63,206	−7.3%
1980	73,942	17.0%
1990	64,980	−12.1%
2000	62,980	−3.1%
2010	62,264	−1.1%
2019 (est.)	58,758	−5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2019

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 62,264 people, 26,603 households, and 17,313 families living in the county. The population density was 148.6 inhabitants per square mile (57.4/km²). There were 30,115 housing units at an average density of 71.9 per square mile (27.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.6% white, 6.1% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.4% were Irish, 14.2% were German, 12.0% were English, and 11.2% were American.

Of the 26,603 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.9% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 42.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,131 and the median income for a family was $42,517. Males had a median income of $37,423 versus $25,778 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,431. About 16.0% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Bluefield
Princeton (county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

Education

The Mercer County Public School System has nineteen elementary schools, including Athens, Bluefield Intermediate, Bluewell, Brushfork, Ceres, Glenwood Elementary, Lashmeet-Matoaka, Melrose, Memorial, Mercer County Early Learning - Bluefield and Princeton sites, Mercer, Montcalm, Oakvale (funding for constructing a new Oakvale school has been approved), Princeton Primary, Spanishburg, Straley, Sun Valley and Whitethorn. There are six middle school facilities including Princeton Middle, Bluefield Middle, Montcalm Middle, PikeView Middle, and Glenwood Middle. There are also four high school facilities, including Princeton Senior (AAA), Bluefield High (AA), Montcalm High (A) and PikeView High (AA). The Mercer County Technical Education Center, which is being transitioned into a comprehensive technical high school. Mercer County Schools educates approximately 9200 students. The professional and service staff number about 1200.

Higher educational institutions include Bluefield State College, located in Bluefield; Concord University, located in Athens; and New River Community and Technical College, located in Princeton, West Virginia.