Cowen, West Virginia
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Down 6.8% since 2020.
465
people, the 153rd-largest of West Virginia's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among West Virginia's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
93.6%
of 140 jobs located in Cowen are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 55% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$675
a month. West Virginia's median is $872.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $89.
A $89 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Webster County.
- $677 Tract 9701.01
- $766 Tract 9701.02
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$727–$1,090
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $675 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 93% of all homes were built before 2000
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.4% to the 233 homes here.
1
is the estimated number of missing housing units; all three estimates agree.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 68% less than West Virginia's.
$52,100
median home value in Cowen.
- $52,100 Cowen
- $162,600 West Virginia
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year