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Community Profile

Presented by the Development Authority of Mercer County

Mitchell Stadium welcomes 10,000+ spectators for the annual Beaver-Graham Game
Mercer County

Mercer County lies in the ridge and valley region of the extreme southern section of West Virginia, approximately 100 miles from the State Capitol, City of Charleston. Two major cities in the county are Bluefield and Princeton, the County Seat. Mercer County is within a 500-mile radius of 50% of the U.S. population. 

Southern West Virginia has four distinct seasons. A legacy of warm summer days and cool nights inspired Bluefield’s nickname, “The Air-Conditioned City.” Cool autumn days with a rainbow of fall colors make way for a cold, dry winter and a spectacular rebirth of spring flowers.

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POPULATION

County ..... 59,664

Princeton ..... 5,872

Bluefield ..... 9,658

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Mercer County ..... $40,716

CLIMATE

Annual Average – 52° F
Monthly Average – January: 30° F – July: 70° F
Rainfall (inches) 38.4"
Snowfall (inches) 35-45"

HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL

Hospitals: 3

Clinics: 8

Doctors: 259

Dentists: 30

Number of Beds: 462

AREA RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS

Protestant ..... 140

Catholic ..... 3

Synagogue ..... 1

LODGINGS & RETAIL OUTLETS

Motels: 16

Total Rooms: 1023

Shopping Centers: 6

Department Stores: 9

RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

Amateur Theaters: 2

Auto Race Tracks: 1

Ball Fields: 4

Bowling Centers: 2

Skating Rink: 1

Drive-Ins: 1

Fitness Centers: 3

Golf Courses: 4

Indoor Movies: 8

Pools: 4

Tennis Courts: 20

OTHER RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

  • Bluefield Elks Lodge 

  • Bluefield Auditiorium

  • Brushfork Armory 

  • Coal City Auditorium

  • Princeton Elks Lodge

Major Employers
Employees: 1000-1250

  • Mercer County Board of Education

  • Princeton Community Hospital

Employees: 200-900

  • Bluefield State University

  • Concord University

  • Grants

  • Kroger (Princeton & Bluewell)

  • Lusk Disposal/Empire Salvage

  • Mercer County Courthouse

  • Norfolk Southern Corporation

  • Res-care

  • Southern Highlands

  • ​The Princeton Community Hospital (PCH) Bluefield Emergency Department

  • Walmart

Employees: 100-199

  • Allegany Wood Products

  • Truist (Formerly BB&T)

  • Carter Machinery

  • Conn-Weld Industries

  • First Century Bank

  • First Community Bank

  • King Tire Services, Inc.

  • Lowes

  • Timken-Smith Services, Inc. 

Employees: 25-99

  • Acme Wood Preserving

  • BSC/Downard Hydraulics, LLC

  • Bluefield Daily Telegraph

  • Cole Chevrolet Cadillac GMC

  • Frontier Communications

  • IPM Technologies 

  • Bluefield Gear

  • Lamb Machine

  • Mercer Nursing & Rehabilitation 

  • Ramey Motors

  • Recycle West Virginia

  • Rish Equipment

  • Shrewsbury Machine & Casting

  • T&N Electric

  • Tabor Machine

  • Worldwide Equipment, Inc. 

Education
School Type
# of Schools
Grades
# Enrolled

PRIMARY

27

K-12

9,271

PRIVATE & PAROCHIAL

2

K-12

256

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

1

10-Adult

920

COLLEGES

2

New River Community & Technical College, Valley College 

113+

UNIVERSITY

3

Bluefield State University, Bluefield University, Concord University

4,015

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

27

Total Volumes: 301,536

-

Total Number of Teachers: 866
Labor Analysis

  • Radius of Labor Drawing Area: 50 Miles

  • Estimated Available: 250,000 Total

  • Annual Number of High School Graduates: 850

  • Work Stoppages in the Last 5 Years: 0

  • Manufacturing Workers in Union: 5%

  • Right to Work Law: Yes

  • Wage and/or Labor Survey Available: Yes

Taxes

Property situated in the state is broken down into four classifications: Class I is all intangible personal property, such as notes, accounts receivable, etc.; Class II is owner-occupied residences; Class III is all other tangible property outside of municipalities, and Class IV is all other property within municipalities. Industry is taxed under Class I, plus Class III or IV, depending upon the municipality or district in which the plant is located. 

The published property tax rates in the respective classifications are as follows (per $100.00 appraised value):

2020 LEVY TAXES
Districts
Class II
Class III
Class IV

Athens 

1.3880

-

2.7760

Bluefield

1.3880

-

2.7760

Bramwell

1.3880

-

2.7760

Matoaka

1.1380

2.2760

-

Oakvale 

1.3880

-

2.7760

Princeton

1.3880

-

2.7760

STATE TAXES

Corporate Net Income......6.5%

Consumer Sales/Use........6%

INDIVIDUAL INCOME

Maximum Rate...................6.5%

Minimum Rate....................30/0

Communications
NEWSPAPERS

Bluefield Daily: Daily & Sunday
USA Today: Daily 
Princeton Times: Weekly 
State Journal: Monthly

RADIO

WAEY: FM-96  AM-1490

WAMN: AM-1040

WGAG: FM-93.1

WHIS: AM-104

WHAJ: FM-104

WKOY: AM-1240

WKMY: FM-101

TELEVISION

  • WVVA-TV

  • Comcast

  • Sudden Link

  • WWD

TELEPHONE

Frontier Communications

Transportation

Mercer County, West Virginia lies at the hub of several major transportation routes serving the eastern United States. Not only does this network facilitate excellent intra-regional transportation links, but it also offers outstanding intraregional networking potential. I-77 provides an ideal link with major northern population centers like Cleveland and via I-79, Pittsburgh. I-77 offers excellent access to major centers in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as many major population centers in the southern United States. 

1-64 east of Beckley, West Virginia provides access to the Midwest and with U.S. Route 460 in Virginia, the area has excellent service to the East Coast. 1-64, I-77, and U.S. Route 460 provide convenient hookups with 1-81, which extends from Tennessee to New England.

MOTOR TRUCKING 

  • Consolidated Motor Express

  • Heavy Hauling

  • Overnight

  • Yellow

AIR SERVICE

Mercer County is served by the Mercer County Airport.

Runway Length: 4,743 Feet

Surface: Asphalt

BUS SERVICE

  • Bluefield Area Transit System

  • Greyhound

PARCEL SERVICE

  • Airborne Express

  • DHL Worldwide Express

  • FedEx

  • United Parcel Service

  • Wells Fargo

AUTOMOBILE RENTAL

Cole Cadillac Chevrolet GMC

RTE 460 E, Bluefield

304-324-2206

 

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

463 Old Bluefield Road, Princeton

800-325-8007

 

Hertz Rent-A-Car

Mercer County Airport

800-654-3131

RAILROAD SERVICE 

Norfolk Southern Railroad Company

TAXI SERVICE 

N/A

LIMOUSINE SERVICE 

Greenbrier Valley Limousines

Government

Mercer County government is responsible for numerous and varied functions.

These functions are administered by local elected officials. The government of Mercer County plays a very large role in delivering public services to the citizens in their county, ie: police protection, health services, recreation, fire protection, flood protection, ambulances, senior citizen programs, and transportation. 

The County Commission consists of three commissioners, each elected for six-year terms.

The Sheriff is elected for a four-year term and may be re-elected.

The Assessor is elected for a four-year term and may be re-elected.

There are six municipalities in Mercer County: 

  • Athens

  • Matoaka

  • Bluefield

  • Oakvale

  • Bramwell

  • Princeton - The County Seat

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