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.
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
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Bluefield Elks Lodge
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Bluefield Auditiorium
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Brushfork Armory
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Coal City Auditorium
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Princeton Elks Lodge
Major Employers
Employees: 1000-1250
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Mercer County Board of Education
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Princeton Community Hospital
Employees: 200-900
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Bluefield State University
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Concord University
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Grants
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Kroger (Princeton & Bluewell)
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Lusk Disposal/Empire Salvage
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Mercer County Courthouse
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Norfolk Southern Corporation
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Res-care
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Southern Highlands
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​The Princeton Community Hospital (PCH) Bluefield Emergency Department
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Walmart
Employees: 100-199
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Allegany Wood Products
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Truist (Formerly BB&T)
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Carter Machinery
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Conn-Weld Industries
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First Century Bank
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First Community Bank
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King Tire Services, Inc.
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Lowes
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Timken-Smith Services, Inc.
Employees: 25-99
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Acme Wood Preserving
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BSC/Downard Hydraulics, LLC
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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
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Cole Chevrolet Cadillac GMC
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Frontier Communications
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IPM Technologies
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Bluefield Gear
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Lamb Machine
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Mercer Nursing & Rehabilitation
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Ramey Motors
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Recycle West Virginia
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Rish Equipment
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Shrewsbury Machine & Casting
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T&N Electric
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Tabor Machine
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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
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Total Number of Teachers: 866
Labor Analysis
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Radius of Labor Drawing Area: 50 Miles
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Estimated Available: 250,000 Total
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Annual Number of High School Graduates: 850
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Work Stoppages in the Last 5 Years: 0
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Manufacturing Workers in Union: 5%
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Right to Work Law: Yes
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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
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2.7760
Bluefield
1.3880
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2.7760
Bramwell
1.3880
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2.7760
Matoaka
1.1380
2.2760
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Oakvale
1.3880
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2.7760
Princeton
1.3880
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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
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WVVA-TV
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Comcast
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Sudden Link
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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
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Consolidated Motor Express
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Heavy Hauling
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Overnight
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Yellow
AIR SERVICE
Mercer County is served by the Mercer County Airport.
Runway Length: 4,743 Feet
Surface: Asphalt
BUS SERVICE
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Bluefield Area Transit System
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Greyhound
PARCEL SERVICE
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Airborne Express
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DHL Worldwide Express
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FedEx
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United Parcel Service
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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:
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Athens
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Matoaka
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Bluefield
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Oakvale
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Bramwell
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Princeton - The County Seat