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.

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.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 21.06% 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 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.

For a small town, there is also a high proportion of single, often educated, people living in Shepherdstown. This is not typical for smaller communities in America, and adds a feeling of vibrancy to Shepherdstown.

One of the benefits of Shepherdstown is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 18.37 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

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.