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Cost of living, pay and housing

37.28° N · 81.24° W · GEOID 5410948

Brush Fork

Mercer County, West Virginia · part of the Bluefield, WV metro

Limited data population under 5,000

West VirginiaBrush Fork, WVBrush ForkBrush Fork

The short answer

Brush Fork is home to 1,096 people. Median household income is $70,098 a year and median rent is $781 a month, 13.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $90,000, about 1.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$781
43% below the median place
Median household income
$70,098
13% below the median place
Median home value
$90,000
72% below the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Brush Fork

  • Between the 2019 and 2021 surveys, household income rose 17.1% a year while rent rose 3.5%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 31 West Virginia places.
  • The median home is worth 1.3 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 31 West Virginia places.
  • 100% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 30 West Virginia places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 21 West Virginia places.
  • 90% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 90% of places its size. It is the highest of 31 West Virginia places.
01

Moving to Brush Fork

Mercer County loses about 6.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,631
Moved out1,914
Net−283

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

McDowell County, WV110101+9
Giles County, VA5754+3
Summers County, WV3972−33
Monroe County, WV61

Within West Virginia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within West VirginiaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$43K
Leavers$42K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Mercer County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.5% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Mercer County report $42,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $41,900.
Income you would need
$31,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $781 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,312 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $90,000.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 6.6% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Weirton, WV matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving out5
$41,878
40% below the median place
Income of households moving in5
$42,630
40% below the median place
Moved from another state1
4.5%
128% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBrush ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.2%8% above
Moved from another state1County figure4.5%128% above
Net movers per 1,000 people5County figure-6.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in5County figure$42,63040% below
Income of households moving out5County figure$41,87840% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 100.0%, 98% above the median place.

Brush Fork13.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$31,240
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.4%
34% below the median place
Home price to income
1.3x
66% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
13%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$60,600
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Brush Fork, $781 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Brush Fork.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Brush Fork? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
100.0%
98% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$425
87% below the median place
Median home value1
$90,000
72% below the median place
All 14 cost and housing measures
MeasureBrush ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$78143% below
Rent to income113.4%34% below
Property tax rate10.5%48% below
Home price to income11.3x66% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$94641% below
Property tax paid (median)1$42587% below
Median home value1$90,00072% below
Home prices, 1-year change3County figure-4.0%below (median 3.2%)
Home prices, 5-year change3County figure32.6%37% below
Homeownership189.9%35% above
Renters paying 30%+1100.0%98% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,31230% below
Vacant homes1County figure17.4%147% above
Median year built119760% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$31,677
21% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBrush ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$70,09813% below
Income per person1$31,67721% below
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay4County figure$51,37422% below
Pay growth, 1 year4County figure2.4%35% below
Jobs4County figure19,50787% below
Poverty rate1County figure16.5%53% above
Mean commute1County figure24 min4% below
Works from home1County figure6.6%47% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 47.7, 22% above the median place.

Median age1
47.7
22% above the median place
High school or higher1
87.9%
5% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
94.7%
3% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureBrush ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,0966646th largest
Median age147.722% above
Bachelor's or higher1County figure22.9%29% below
High school or higher187.9%5% below
Household size12.44% below
Born abroad1County figure0.6%93% below
No health insurance1County figure4.9%23% below
Homes with broadband194.7%3% above
05

Life in Brush Fork

21 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.4 −26%
Shops33.0 +9%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.6 +12%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.1 −10%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Restaurants and bars per 10k6
15.4
26% below the median place
Public schools9
26
189% above the median place
Child care centers per 10k6
2.0
13% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureBrush ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure26189% above
Public school students9County figure8,31070% above
Students per teacher9County figure14.46% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k6County figure15.426% below
Shops per 10k6County figure33.09% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k6County figure4.612% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k6County figure18.110% below
Child care centers per 10k6County figure2.013% below
Parks per 10k70.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k70.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k70.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k70.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k70.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails70.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi70.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings8County figure2162% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 2.2, 98% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Brush Fork. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk11
2.2
98% below the median place
Tornado risk11
17.2
79% below the median place
July average high10
82°F
6% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureBrush ForkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure82°F6% below
January average low10County figure23°F7% below
Average temperature10County figure52°F5% below
Annual precipitation10County figure42.1 in4% below
Natural hazard risk11County figure65.229% below
Hurricane risk11County figure50.029% below
Tornado risk11County figure17.279% below
Wildfire risk11County figure62.93% above
Heat wave risk11County figure2.298% below
08

Brush Fork in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 14% of the median income in 2030, up from 13% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$781/mo (2021)$1,100/mo$860 to $1,400/mo+3.9%
Median household income$70,098 (2024)$93,500$79,000 to $110,500+4.9%
Median home value$90,000 (2024)$124,000$90,000 to $171,000+5.5%

The median home would be worth 1.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 1.3 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Brush Fork

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Weirton, WV$746$59,575Compare
Manchester, IA$802$61,191Compare
Princeton, IL$782$61,946Compare
Oneida, NY$903$61,597Compare
Oneida, NYPrinceton, ILManchester, IAWeirton, WVBrush Fork, WVBrush ForkWeirtonManchesterPrincetonOneidaBrush ForkWeirtonManchesterPrincetonOneida

Common questions

Is Brush Fork a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2021 surveys, household income rose 17.1% a year while rent rose 3.5%, so pay gained on rent more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 31 West Virginia places. The median home is worth 1.3 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 31 West Virginia places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Brush Fork expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $90,000.

What salary do you need to live in Brush Fork?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $31,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Brush Fork?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Weirton, WV, Manchester, IA, Princeton, IL and Oneida, NY.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  4. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  5. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  6. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  7. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Brush Fork with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Brush Fork itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/brush-fork-west-virginia

Citytistics. “Brush Fork, West Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/brush-fork-west-virginia/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.