Census Data for Hurricane

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Hurricane a population of 6,422 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Hurricane a population of 6,284 people.

The city of Hurricane is located in Putnam County. The 2010 Census gave Putnam County; a population of 55,486 people. This means that Hurricane had 11.33% of the county's total population, making it Putnam's most populous community.

At the same time, West Virginia had a population of 1,852,994 people, meaning that Hurricane had 0.34% of the total population of West Virginia - making it the state's 22nd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Hurricane has a total area of 3.77 square miles [9.8 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.03 square miles [0.1 km²]).

Putnam County has a land area of 345.7 square miles [895.3 km²]. At 3.74 square miles [9.7 km²], Hurricane has 1.08% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Hurricane, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Hurricane reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Hurricane might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   38° 25' 45"   (or 38.43°)
  • Lon:   -82° 1' 1"   (or -82.02°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Hurricane had 2,627 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 6,284 people, this averages 2.39 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Hurricane had a land area of 3.74 square miles [9.7 km²]. This translates to 696 Housing Units per square mile [268.8 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Hurricane had 2,258 Housing Units, a population of 5,222 people and a land area of 2.96 square miles [7.7 km²]. This gives a density of 2.31 people per Housing Unit and 758 Housing Units per square mile [292.8 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Hurricane and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Putnam County ...

The community of Hurricane is located in Putnam County<4>.

The county had a population of 55,486 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 6,284 people, Hurricane represented 11.33% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Hurricane has a population density of 1,665 people per square mile [642 people/km²], Putnam County averages 160.5 people per square mile [62 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Putnam County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Hurricane, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Hurricane. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Hurricane or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Hurricane, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Hurricane.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   38.429174°   (or 38°25'45" N)
  • Lon:   -82.017015°   (or -82°1'1" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   38.432483°   (or 38°25'56" N)
  • Lon:   -82.019718°   (or -82°1'10" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 1,432 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2390602) to Hurricane. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Hurricane. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   38.430268°   (or 38°25'48" N)
  • Lon:   -82.017209°   (or -82°1'1" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 402.7 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Hurricane. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Hurricane.

Miscellaneous Information for Hurricane ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Putnam County or the city of Hurricane:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Hurricane:
  • GNIS ID for Hurricane: 2390602
  • GNIS ID for Putnam County: 1550046
  • GNIS ID for State of West Virginia: 1779805

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 54 (West Virginia)
  • County Code: 079 (Putnam County)
  • Place Code: 39532 (Hurricane)
  • State & County Code: 54/079 (West Virginia / Putnam County)
  • State & Place Code: 54/39532 (West Virginia / Hurricane)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Hurricane is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Hurricane, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Hurricane. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Hurricane:25526<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Hurricane.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Hurricane. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)