| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County | 1 | 16.67% | 143,159 | 122,699 |
| Jefferson County | 2 | 11.28% | 64,304 | 57,785 |
| Morgan County | 3 | 6.4% | 18,180 | 17,087 |
| Hampshire County | 4 | 4.46% | 24,115 | 23,085 |
| Monongalia County | 5 | 4.42% | 110,593 | 105,912 |
| Monroe County | 6 | 2% | 12,634 | 12,386 |
| Hardy County | 7 | 1.25% | 14,419 | 14,241 |
| Jackson County | 8 | 0.33% | 27,818 | 27,726 |
| Upshur County | 9 | 0% | 23,818 | 23,818 |
| Putnam County | 10 | -0.22% | 57,317 | 57,443 |
| Preston County | 11 | -0.37% | 34,065 | 34,191 |
| Grant County | 12 | -0.47% | 10,943 | 10,995 |
| Mineral County | 13 | -0.67% | 26,722 | 26,901 |
| Taylor County | 14 | -0.89% | 16,544 | 16,693 |
| Barbour County | 15 | -1.56% | 15,221 | 15,462 |
| Marion County | 16 | -1.6% | 55,337 | 56,234 |
| Wood County | 17 | -2.1% | 82,377 | 84,146 |
| Harrison County | 18 | -2.21% | 64,390 | 65,842 |
| Mason County | 19 | -2.88% | 24,680 | 25,413 |
| Nicholas County | 20 | -2.93% | 23,843 | 24,562 |
| Raleigh County | 21 | -3.12% | 72,085 | 74,407 |
| Ritchie County | 22 | -3.4% | 8,136 | 8,422 |
| Ohio County | 23 | -3.5% | 40,828 | 42,307 |
| Randolph County | 24 | -3.73% | 26,852 | 27,892 |
| Summers County | 25 | -3.94% | 11,470 | 11,940 |
| Tucker County | 26 | -4.01% | 6,483 | 6,754 |
| Doddridge County | 27 | -4.04% | 7,475 | 7,790 |
| Cabell County | 28 | -4.09% | 90,395 | 94,245 |
| Braxton County | 29 | -4.2% | 11,875 | 12,396 |
| Wayne County | 30 | -4.26% | 37,209 | 38,865 |
| Kanawha County | 31 | -4.27% | 172,514 | 180,208 |
| Hancock County | 32 | -4.35% | 27,780 | 29,043 |
| Lewis County | 33 | -4.69% | 16,221 | 17,020 |
| Pendleton County | 34 | -4.78% | 5,836 | 6,129 |
| Greenbrier County | 35 | -4.85% | 31,307 | 32,903 |
| Pocahontas County | 36 | -4.87% | 7,481 | 7,864 |
| Marshall County | 37 | -4.92% | 29,028 | 30,529 |
| Mercer County | 38 | -4.98% | 56,556 | 59,519 |
| Roane County | 39 | -5.15% | 13,264 | 13,984 |
| Clay County | 40 | -5.32% | 7,587 | 8,013 |
| Pleasants County | 41 | -5.47% | 7,234 | 7,653 |
| Tyler County | 42 | -6.64% | 7,741 | 8,292 |
| Gilmer County | 43 | -6.66% | 6,906 | 7,399 |
| Brooke County | 44 | -6.69% | 20,979 | 22,484 |
| Boone County | 45 | -6.7% | 20,288 | 21,746 |
| Webster County | 46 | -6.72% | 7,791 | 8,352 |
| Fayette County | 47 | -6.93% | 37,642 | 40,445 |
| Wetzel County | 48 | -7.34% | 13,354 | 14,412 |
| Calhoun County | 49 | -7.54% | 5,729 | 6,196 |
| Wirt County | 50 | -7.77% | 4,784 | 5,187 |
| Lincoln County | 51 | -8.03% | 18,733 | 20,368 |
| Logan County | 52 | -8.17% | 29,860 | 32,516 |
| Wyoming County | 53 | -9.15% | 19,368 | 21,319 |
| Mingo County | 54 | -10.22% | 21,086 | 23,487 |
| McDowell County | 55 | -12.4% | 16,591 | 18,939 |
West Virginia's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Berkeley County leads with 2.6% annualized growth, followed by Jefferson County (1.8%) and Morgan County (1.04%). The largest counties are Kanawha County (172,514), Berkeley County (143,159), and Monongalia County (110,593). 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 -0.21% annually.
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