Top 5 Most Populous Counties
172,687
138,562
109,198
91,276
82,380
55 Counties
County | 2025 Pop. ↓ | Area (mi²) | Density | Change (2020) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kanawha County | 172,687 | 902 | 191 | -4.19% |
Berkeley County | 138,562 | 321 | 432 | 12.93% |
Monongalia County | 109,198 | 360 | 303 | 3.1% |
Cabell County | 91,276 | 281 | 325 | -3.15% |
Wood County | 82,380 | 367 | 224 | -2.09% |
Raleigh County | 71,466 | 605 | 118 | -3.94% |
Harrison County | 64,413 | 416 | 155 | -2.16% |
Jefferson County | 61,359 | 209 | 294 | 6.18% |
Mercer County | 56,947 | 419 | 136 | -4.32% |
Putnam County | 56,760 | 346 | 164 | -1.19% |
Marion County | 55,853 | 309 | 181 | -0.69% |
Ohio County | 40,656 | 106 | 384 | -3.98% |
Fayette County | 38,440 | 662 | 58 | -4.92% |
Wayne County | 37,098 | 506 | 73 | -4.57% |
Preston County | 33,853 | 649 | 52 | -0.98% |
Greenbrier County | 31,697 | 1,020 | 31 | -3.63% |
Logan County | 30,069 | 453 | 66 | -7.52% |
Marshall County | 28,881 | 305 | 95 | -5.29% |
Hancock County | 27,927 | 83 | 336 | -3.83% |
Jackson County | 27,445 | 464 | 59 | -1% |
Randolph County | 26,946 | 1,040 | 26 | -3.39% |
Mineral County | 26,797 | 328 | 82 | -0.34% |
Mason County | 24,473 | 431 | 57 | -3.66% |
Hampshire County | 24,033 | 640 | 38 | 4.03% |
Nicholas County | 23,889 | 647 | 37 | -2.72% |
Upshur County | 23,177 | 355 | 65 | -2.67% |
Mingo County | 21,179 | 423 | 50 | -9.83% |
Brooke County | 20,731 | 89 | 233 | -7.76% |
Boone County | 19,914 | 502 | 40 | -8.42% |
Wyoming County | 19,687 | 499 | 39 | -7.67% |
Lincoln County | 19,401 | 437 | 44 | -4.72% |
Morgan County | 18,077 | 229 | 79 | 5.79% |
McDowell County | 16,705 | 533 | 31 | -11.78% |
Taylor County | 16,344 | 173 | 94 | -2.08% |
Lewis County | 16,152 | 387 | 42 | -5.1% |
Barbour County | 15,352 | 341 | 45 | -0.74% |
Hardy County | 14,417 | 582 | 25 | 1.25% |
Wetzel County | 13,682 | 358 | 38 | -5.02% |
Roane County | 13,563 | 484 | 28 | -3.03% |
Monroe County | 12,502 | 473 | 26 | 0.95% |
Braxton County | 12,146 | 511 | 24 | -2.03% |
Summers County | 11,339 | 361 | 31 | -5.03% |
Grant County | 10,887 | 477 | 23 | -0.94% |
Ritchie County | 8,041 | 452 | 18 | -4.54% |
Webster County | 7,853 | 553 | 14 | -6.02% |
Pocahontas County | 7,701 | 940 | 8 | -2.02% |
Clay County | 7,669 | 342 | 22 | -4.2% |
Doddridge County | 7,616 | 320 | 24 | -2.18% |
Tyler County | 7,577 | 256 | 30 | -8.61% |
Pleasants County | 7,144 | 130 | 55 | -6.61% |
Gilmer County | 7,102 | 339 | 21 | -3.98% |
Tucker County | 6,572 | 419 | 16 | -2.59% |
Pendleton County | 5,953 | 696 | 9 | -2.92% |
Calhoun County | 5,739 | 279 | 21 | -7.42% |
Wirt County | 4,816 | 233 | 21 | -7.17% |
There are 55 counties in West Virginia.
West Virginia’s most populous county is Kanawha County, home of the city of Charleston, which has a population of 180,454. Since the last census was taken in 2010, Kanawha County has seen a loss in its total population with a negative -6.46% growth rate. Behind Kanawha County in terms of population are:
The county in West Virginia that holds the lowest number of residents is Wirt County. Wirt County has a population of 5,830 which represents a growth rate of 1.82% since the 2010 census. Other small counties include:
West Virginia has twelve counties under 10,000 residents and another 33 counties between 10,000 and 50,000 residents. Most of these small counties have lost residents since the census. Among counties under 10,000 people, Webster County (population 8,285) experienced the most dramatic decline with a -9.48% growth rate.
The most rapid growth found in West Virginia comes from Berkeley County which, since 2010’s census, has seen an 11.97% increase in its population to 117,123 people. Other counties with rapid growth in West Virginia include:
The county with the most dramatic decline is McDowell County which lost 17.54% of its residents since 2010 and now has a population of 18,223.