† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupWelchWest VirginiaUnited States
English11.4%15.7%9.5%
German6.4%14.7%12.5%
Irish6.4%12.3%9.4%
American5.1%9.5%5.3%
Italian1.5%4.1%4.8%
Scottish1.0%2.1%1.3%
Danish0.3%——
Hungarian0.3%——
African American†24.7%2.6%9.9%
Mexican1.4%0.7%11.3%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Welch
West Virginia
United States
Median age
40.6
42.9
39.1
Age 18–24
5.7%
8.8%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
11.4%
21.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Welch
West Virginia
United States
Median household income
$32,969
$59,608
$84,427
Poverty rate
28.2%
16.7%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
5.0%
24.4%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Welch
West Virginia
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
9.8%
2.5%
22.3%
Spanish
7.4%
1.2%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Welch
West Virginia
United States
Catholic
—
5.6%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
16.4%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
62.3%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Welch, West Virginia
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+27.8%
2008
+12.7%
2012
−13.9%
2016
−37.9%
2020
−40.4%
2024
−41.1%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
28.5%Harris172
69.7%Trump420
1.8%
R+41.1
R+0.7
R+39.7
603
R
29.1%Biden213
69.4%Trump509
1.5%
R+40.4
R+2.5
R+44.8
733
R
29.4%Clinton209
67.3%Trump479
3.4%
R+37.9
R+24.0
R+40.0
712
R
42.1%Obama318
56.0%Romney423
2.0%
R+13.9
R+26.6
R+17.7
756
D
55.1%Obama466
42.5%McCain359
2.4%
D+12.7
R+15.1
D+5.4
845
D
63.8%Kerry611
36.0%Bush345
0.2%
D+27.8
—
D+30.2
958
Welch anchors McDowell County, which has shed more than 90% of its mid-20th-century population as coal employment collapsed, producing one of the most lopsided partisan swings of any county in Appalachia over the past two decades.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 27.8 points in 2004 and a Republican high of 41.1 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 0.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 41.1 points.
A population of 3,507, a 66% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $32,969 describe the city.
In 2024, Welch, West Virginia voted Republican by 41.1 points (R+41.1), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 603 votes cast, 172 went Democratic and 420 went Republican.
When did Welch, West Virginia last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Welch, West Virginia voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Welch, West Virginia?
Welch, West Virginia has a population of 3,507 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Welch, West Virginia?
Median household income in Welch, West Virginia is $32,969 — below the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of Welch, West Virginia?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Welch, West Virginia from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 4 went Republican.
