Marion County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. Its county seat is Fairmont.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 807 km² (311 mi²). 802 km² (310 mi²) of it is land and 5 km² (2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.58% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density is 71/km² (183/mi²). There are 26,660 housing units at an average density of 33/km² (86/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 95.10% White, 3.22% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.70% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 23,652 households out of which 26.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.40% are married couples living together, 10.70% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% are non-families. 28.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.90% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.34 and the average family size is 2.88.

In the county, the population is spread out with 20.60% under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 90.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $28,626, and the median income for a family is $37,182. Males have a median income of $29,005 versus $21,100 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,246. 16.30% of the population and 11.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.30% of those under the age of 18 and 8.70% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities and towns

• Barrackville
• Fairmont
• Fairview
• Farmington
• Grant Town
• Mannington
• Monongah
• Pleasant Valley
• Rivesville
• Whitehall
• Worthington

History

Marion County was created in 1842 from parts of Monongalia and Harrison Counties and named for General Francis Marion, "the Swamp Fox" of the American Revolutionary War.