Shepherdstown is a very small town located in the state of West Virginia. With a population of 1,533 people and three associated neighborhoods, Shepherdstown is the 124th largest community in West Virginia. Shepherdstown has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country. 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 88.94% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Shepherdstown is a town of service providers, sales and office workers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Shepherdstown who work in personal care services (21.51%), office and administrative support (15.05%), and food service (13.67%). Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 16.02% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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 place where college students are a big part of the character and culture of the town. Small towns have often struggled with declining populations over the past few decades, but the presence of such a large college student population has helped Shepherdstown to fight this trend. Not only does the college population add spending and jobs to local economy, but it also contributes a very tangible, youthful energy to the town. 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 18.19 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be. Being a small town, Shepherdstown does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.If knowledge is power, Shepherdstown is a pretty powerful place. 54.29% 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 $21,508, 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 $86,032 for a family of four. However, Shepherdstown contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Shepherdstown is a very 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 French.
