Martins Ferry is a somewhat small city located in the state of Ohio. With a population of 6,050 people and three associated neighborhoods, Martins Ferry is the 238th largest community in Ohio. Martins Ferry has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 7.34% 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.

As is often the case in a small city, Martins Ferry doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

In terms of college education, the citizens of Martins Ferry rank slightly lower than the national average. 13.43% of adults 25 and older in Martins Ferry have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree, while 21.84% of adults have a 4-year degree or higher in the average American community.

The per capita income in Martins Ferry in 2022 was $25,165, which is low income relative to Ohio and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $100,660 for a family of four. However, Martins Ferry contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Martins Ferry also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 34.28% of its population below the federal poverty line.

Martins Ferry is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Martins Ferry home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Martins Ferry residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Martins Ferry include Irish, German, Italian, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Martins Ferry is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.