Shepherdstown is a very small town located in the state of West Virginia. With a population of 1,537 people and three associated neighborhoods, Shepherdstown is the 124th largest community in West Virginia. Shepherdstown has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns. Shepherdstown real estate is some of the most expensive in West Virginia, although Shepherdstown house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.Shepherdstown is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 88.58% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Shepherdstown is a town of service providers, professionals, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Shepherdstown who work in food service (15.98%), office and administrative support (15.37%), and teaching (12.79%). Of important note, Shepherdstown is also a town of artists. Shepherdstown has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Shepherdstown’s character. A relatively large number of people in Shepherdstown telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 21.06% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Shepherdstown is a small town where college students really create the town feel and character. So many small towns have lost population over the last 20-30 years that having the local college presence in the Shepherdstown area, with all of the energy of the students filling area dorms and apartments each fall, really helps Shepherdstown maintain a good economy. Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Shepherdstown spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 18.37 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.If knowledge is power, Shepherdstown is a pretty powerful place. 71.37% of the adults in Shepherdstown have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns. The per capita income in Shepherdstown in 2022 was $22,913, which is lower middle income relative to West Virginia, and low income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $91,652 for a family of four. However, Shepherdstown contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Shepherdstown is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Shepherdstown home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Shepherdstown residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Shepherdstown include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Scots-Irish. The most common language spoken in Shepherdstown is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.
