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List of Cities and Counties in West Virginia

Discover West Virginia population facts easily with our list of counties and cities. Find out how many people live in each area, from big cities to small towns, and see how the West Virginia population is spread out across the state.

West Virginia Counties by Population

A county is an administrative subdivision of a US state or territory. As of 2022, West Virginia is divided into 55 counties. 

The average population of West Virginia counties is 32,417; Kanawha County is the most populous (177,952) and Wirt County is the least (5,063). The average land area is 438 sq mi. The largest county is Randolph County (1,040 sq mi) and the smallest is Hancock County (83 sq mi).

read about the Population of West Virginia

#CountyPopulation 2021Area
( sq. mi.)		Density
(people/sq. mi.)
1Kanawha County177,952903197.07
2Berkeley County126,069321392.74
3Monongalia County106,387361294.70
4Cabell County93,418282331.27
5Wood County83,624367227.86
6Raleigh County73,771607121.53
7Harrison County65,158416156.63
8Mercer County59,097420140.71
9Jefferson County58,370210277.95
10Putnam County57,260346165.49
11Marion County56,001310180.65
12Ohio County41,776106394.11
13Fayette County39,92766460.13
14Wayne County38,49850676.08
15Preston County34,35864853.02
16Greenbrier County32,6081,02131.94
17Logan County31,90945470.28
18Marshall County30,11530798.09
19Hancock County28,65683345.25
20Randolph County27,8061,04026.74
21Jackson County27,73846659.52
22Mineral County26,85732881.88
23Mason County25,15743258.23
24Nicholas County24,30064937.44
25Upshur County23,79135567.02
26Hampshire County23,30264236.30
27Mingo County23,00542354.39
28Brooke County22,14089248.76
29Boone County21,31250342.37
30Wyoming County21,05150142.02
31Lincoln County20,12643845.95
32McDowell County18,36353534.32
33Morgan County17,22122975.20
34Lewis County16,89238943.42
35Taylor County16,49217395.33
36Barbour County15,46834145.36
37Wetzel County14,17035939.47
38Hardy County14,16058324.29
39Roane County13,89848428.71
40Monroe County12,33247326.07
41Braxton County12,24751423.83
42Summers County11,90836132.99
43Grant County10,98347723.03
44Ritchie County8,38345418.46
45Webster County8,24955614.84
46Tyler County8,15525831.61
47Clay County7,89234223.08
48Pocahontas County7,8419408.34
49Doddridge County7,73532024.17
50Pleasants County7,60113158.02
51Gilmer County7,37734021.70
52Tucker County6,67241915.92
53Calhoun County6,17628121.98
54Pendleton County6,1426988.80
55Wirt County5,06323321.73

Source: US Census report 2021

read about the race and ethnicity in West Virginia

Top Cities in West Virginia by population

 There are 232 incorporated municipalities in West Virginia. Charleston is the largest city in West Virginia with a population of 48,864 residents. It’s followed by Huntington (46,842) and Parkersburg (29,738).

Let’s have a look at the Top Cities in West Virginia by population

#CityCounty2020 Census
1Charleston Kanawha48,864
2Huntington Cabell, Wayne46,842
3Parkersburg Wood29,738
4Morgantown Monongalia30,347
5Wheeling Ohio, Marshall27,052
6Martinsburg Berkeley18,777
7WeirtonHancock, Brooke19,163
8Fairmont Marion18,416
9Beckley Raleigh17,286
10Clarksburg Harrison16,061
11South CharlestonKanawha13,647
12St. AlbansKanawha10,861
13ViennaWood10,652
14BluefieldMercer9,658
15BridgeportHarrison9,336
16Oak HillFayette8,179
17Moundsville Marshall8,093
18DunbarKanawha7,480
19HurricanePutnam6,961
20Elkins Randolph6,934

Source: US Census Bureau population estimate 2020

Most Populous Counties in West Virginia

The most populous county in West Virginia is Kanawha County with 177,952 residents. It was followed by Berkeley County (126,069) and Monongalia County (106,387)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 most populous counties

#CountyPopulation 2021
1Kanawha County177,952
2Berkeley County126,069
3Monongalia County106,387
4Cabell County93,418
5Wood County83,624
6Raleigh County73,771
7Harrison County65,158
8Mercer County59,097
9Jefferson County58,370
10Putnam County57,260
Least Populated West Virginia County

The least populous county is Wirt County with 5,063 residents, it’s followed by Pendleton County and Calhoun County.

Let’s have a look at 5 least populated counties in West Virginia

#CountyPopulation 2021
1Wirt County5,063
2Pendleton County6,142
3Calhoun County6,176
4Tucker County6,672
5Gilmer County7,377

source: US Census 2021

read about religion in West Virginia

Largest counties in West Virginia by area

The Largest county by Land Area in West Virginia is Randolph County with an area of 1,040 sq. miles. Greenbrier County with an area of 1,021 sq. mi. comes next followed by Pocahontas County (940 sq. mi.)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 counties by Area

#CountyArea ( sq. mi.)
1Randolph County1,040
2Greenbrier County1,021
3Pocahontas County940
4Kanawha County903
5Pendleton County698
6Fayette County664
7Nicholas County649
8Preston County648
9Hampshire County642
10Raleigh County607
Smallest County in West Virginia by  area

The smallest county by area in West Virginia is Hancock County with an area of 83 square miles.

#CountyArea ( sq. mi.)
1Hancock County83
2Brooke County89
3Ohio County106
4Pleasants County131
5Taylor County173

source: US Census report 2021

Most Densely populated Counties in West Virginia

The most densely populated county in West Virginia is Ohio County, with 394 people per sq. mi. Next comes Berkeley County with 393 people per sq. mi. followed by Hancock County (345/ sq.mi)

Let’s have a look at the Top 10 densely populated counties

#CountyDensity (people/sq. mi.)
1Ohio County394.11
2Berkeley County392.74
3Hancock County345.25
4Cabell County331.27
5Monongalia County294.70
6Jefferson County277.95
7Brooke County248.76
8Wood County227.86
9Kanawha County197.07
10Marion County180.65
Least Densely Populated County in West Virginia

Pocahontas County with a population density of just 8.34 people per sq. miles is the least densely populated county in West Virginia

#CountyDensity (people/sq. mi.)
1Pocahontas County8.34
2Pendleton County8.80
3Webster County14.84
4Tucker County15.92
5Ritchie County18.46

Sources

Religion in United States
Race and Ethnicity in US
US State by Population
List of Counties in West Virginia 2024 | Top cities in West Virginia by population

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