| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County | 1 | 16.6% | 143,054 | 122,693 |
| Jefferson County | 2 | 12.33% | 64,915 | 57,790 |
| Morgan County | 3 | 6.8% | 18,248 | 17,086 |
| Hampshire County | 4 | 5.87% | 24,442 | 23,086 |
| Monongalia County | 5 | 2.01% | 108,051 | 105,917 |
| Grant County | 6 | 1.16% | 11,120 | 10,993 |
| Monroe County | 7 | 0.63% | 12,466 | 12,388 |
| Barbour County | 8 | 0.19% | 15,492 | 15,463 |
| Upshur County | 9 | 0.16% | 23,858 | 23,820 |
| Hardy County | 10 | -0.01% | 14,239 | 14,241 |
| Mineral County | 11 | -0.22% | 26,833 | 26,892 |
| Preston County | 12 | -0.53% | 34,021 | 34,201 |
| Putnam County | 13 | -1.03% | 56,848 | 57,441 |
| Jackson County | 14 | -1.15% | 27,404 | 27,723 |
| Marion County | 15 | -1.35% | 55,483 | 56,240 |
| Doddridge County | 16 | -2.04% | 7,626 | 7,785 |
| Wood County | 17 | -2.42% | 82,120 | 84,153 |
| Harrison County | 18 | -2.78% | 64,016 | 65,846 |
| Calhoun County | 19 | -2.87% | 6,025 | 6,203 |
| Mason County | 20 | -2.97% | 24,649 | 25,403 |
| Tucker County | 21 | -3.29% | 6,531 | 6,753 |
| Nicholas County | 22 | -3.33% | 23,741 | 24,559 |
| Mercer County | 23 | -3.48% | 57,454 | 59,528 |
| Cabell County | 24 | -3.54% | 90,911 | 94,245 |
| Taylor County | 25 | -3.61% | 16,088 | 16,690 |
| Pocahontas County | 26 | -3.78% | 7,564 | 7,861 |
| Summers County | 27 | -3.78% | 11,480 | 11,931 |
| Raleigh County | 28 | -4.08% | 71,365 | 74,404 |
| Lewis County | 29 | -4.18% | 16,310 | 17,021 |
| Pleasants County | 30 | -4.32% | 7,324 | 7,655 |
| Randolph County | 31 | -4.51% | 26,634 | 27,893 |
| Wayne County | 32 | -4.52% | 37,115 | 38,873 |
| Gilmer County | 33 | -4.6% | 7,053 | 7,393 |
| Marshall County | 34 | -4.8% | 29,034 | 30,498 |
| Greenbrier County | 35 | -4.81% | 31,324 | 32,906 |
| Kanawha County | 36 | -4.93% | 171,339 | 180,215 |
| Tyler County | 37 | -5.16% | 7,866 | 8,294 |
| Wetzel County | 38 | -5.19% | 13,656 | 14,404 |
| Hancock County | 39 | -5.37% | 27,481 | 29,040 |
| Ohio County | 40 | -5.49% | 40,023 | 42,347 |
| Braxton County | 41 | -5.52% | 11,716 | 12,400 |
| Ritchie County | 42 | -5.67% | 7,946 | 8,424 |
| Roane County | 43 | -6.16% | 13,126 | 13,988 |
| Pendleton County | 44 | -6.25% | 5,746 | 6,129 |
| Wirt County | 45 | -6.5% | 4,850 | 5,187 |
| Fayette County | 46 | -6.59% | 37,776 | 40,442 |
| Brooke County | 47 | -6.63% | 20,990 | 22,481 |
| Lincoln County | 48 | -6.79% | 18,985 | 20,369 |
| Logan County | 49 | -7.32% | 30,135 | 32,514 |
| Boone County | 50 | -7.78% | 20,054 | 21,746 |
| Clay County | 51 | -7.82% | 7,383 | 8,009 |
| Wyoming County | 52 | -8.1% | 19,595 | 21,322 |
| Webster County | 53 | -9.18% | 7,587 | 8,354 |
| Mingo County | 54 | -9.62% | 21,230 | 23,489 |
| McDowell County | 55 | -12.52% | 16,570 | 18,942 |
West Virginia's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Berkeley County leads with 2.59% annualized growth, followed by Jefferson County (1.96%) and Morgan County (1.1%). The largest counties are Kanawha County (171,339), Berkeley County (143,054), and Monongalia County (108,051). Of the 55 counties in West Virginia, 9 are growing while 46 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged -0.54% annualized growth, with total population growing by -0.25% annually.
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