Financial Literacy in Taylor County, West Virginia

Taylor County, West Virginia is home to about 16,438 people. The population has declined 1.5% since 2020, from 16,693 to 16,438. The median age is 44.2.

17.4% of Taylor County residents 25 and older have completed a bachelor's degree or more. That runs 1.5 points above the West Virginia average of 15.9%. Put the other way round: of the 12,119 adults 25 and over counted in the 2019–2023 ACS, roughly 10,010 — 82.6% — are building their financial lives without a four-year degree behind them.

The typical household here earns $56,807 a year. That is $5,481 above the West Virginia median. About 14.7% of residents live below the poverty line. The median home is valued at $144,000, roughly 2.5× median household income.

Taylor County by the numbers

Measure	Value
Population (2024)	16,438
Change since 2020	-1.5%
Median household income	$56,807
Adults 25+ with a bachelor’s degree	17.4%
Adults 25+ with a high school diploma	86.4%
Median age	44.2
Poverty rate	14.7%
Unemployment rate	9.6%
Median home value	$144,000
Land area	172.771 sq mi
Population density	95 / sq mi

What West Virginia teaches — and to whom

West Virginia has committed to 1 semester of personal finance as a graduation requirement, phasing in with the class of 2028 — so today's middle schoolers will be the first cohort held to it. That covers students still in the system. It does nothing for the adults already out of it — which, in Taylor County, is most of the people reading this.

LearnLife organises this the way the decisions actually arrive: Money — budgeting, credit, debt and taxes — the mechanics nobody is formally taught; Legal literacy — leases, contracts, employment rights and what a signature actually commits you to; Emotional regulation — the self-management that decides whether the other skills ever get used.

Where to start in Taylor County

Treat income stability as a skill

Unemployment in Taylor County sits at 9.6%. Where work is less certain, the practical skills are the defensive ones: what unemployment insurance actually pays and how fast, how to read a severance agreement, and which bills to triage first when income stops.

Questions people ask about Taylor County

Do high school students in Taylor County, West Virginia have to take a personal finance class?

Yes — West Virginia has adopted a standalone requirement, phasing in with the graduating class of 2028. Students graduating before then are not covered.

How many adults in Taylor County, West Virginia have a college degree?

17.4% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, based on the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey. The remaining 82.6% are managing their finances without one.

What is the median household income in Taylor County, West Virginia?

$56,807, per the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.

Where can adults in Taylor County, West Virginia learn personal finance?

Graduation requirements only ever reach people still in school. For adults, LearnLife covers the same ground on demand — money, legal literacy and the self-management that decides whether either gets used.

Start with whichever one is costing you money right now.

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Nearby in West Virginia

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Population and demographic figures: U.S. Census Bureau — 2024 Gazetteer, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates, and the American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Graduation-requirement status: NGPF Live U.S. Dashboard, read 2026-09-14. Figures marked as unavailable are suppressed by the Census Bureau for small populations.