Shepherdstown is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Shepherdstown to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local 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 18.19 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.
As is often the case in a small town, Shepherdstown doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
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.
