Demographics of Putnam County, West Virginia

Putnam County, West Virginia had 56,885 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −556 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Putnam County, in four figures

56,885
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −1.0%
Change since July 2020: −556 people.; 42.6 ±0.5
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $79,527 ±$6,071
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Putnam County, West Virginia's population shrank 1.0% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Putnam County, West Virginia's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Putnam County, West Virginia's population shrank 1.0% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Putnam County, West Virginia's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	57,441	100.0	100.0
2021	57,378	99.9	100.2
2022	57,073	99.4	100.7
2023	56,900	99.1	101.6
2024	56,922	99.1	102.5
2025	56,885	99.0	103.1

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Population of Putnam County, West Virginia on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	57,441	+6	−32	+1	+20
2021	57,378	−63	−229	+24	+107
2022	57,073	−305	−205	+28	−104
2023	56,900	−173	−216	+61	−7
2024	56,922	+22	−186	+14	+196
2025	56,885	−37	−177	+7	+130

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 42.6 ±0.5: for men 42.2 ±0.6 and for women 43.4 ±0.9. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Putnam County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Under 5	2,714 ±109	4.7% ±0.2	5.0% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	9,581 ±578	16.8% ±1.0	15.1% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	4,280 ±320	7.5% ±0.6	8.8% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	13,799 ±563	24.1% ±1.0	23.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	15,548 ±561	27.2% ±1.0	26.2% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	11,255 ±724	19.7% ±1.3	21.0% ±0.2	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $79,527 ±$6,071, and income per person $41,822 ±$2,005, in 2024 dollars. The median is $59,608 ±$691 in West Virginia and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Putnam County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	West Virginia	United States
Under $25,000	3,178 ±513	13.7% ±2.2	21.1% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	4,176 ±545	18.0% ±2.3	21.6% ±0.4	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	3,705 ±501	15.9% ±2.1	17.3% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,748 ±349	11.8% ±1.5	12.7% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	4,600 ±585	19.8% ±2.5	15.1% ±0.4	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,284 ±411	9.8% ±1.8	6.3% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	2,560 ±485	11.0% ±2.1	5.9% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Putnam County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	West Virginia	United States
All ages	6,009 ±1,186	10.6% ±2.1	16.7% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,994 ±530	16.4% ±4.2	21.5% ±0.7	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,661 ±567	9.0% ±1.9	17.0% ±0.4	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,354 ±289	9.0% ±1.9	12.8% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Putnam County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Putnam County	West Virginia	United States
Housing units	24,963 ±33	861,325 ±394	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	93.1% ±1.3	84.6% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	6.9% ±1.3	15.4% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	81.8% ±2.2	74.9% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	18.2% ±2.3	25.1% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$223,300 ±$9,119	$162,600 ±$1,346	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$952 ±$81	$872 ±$8	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1989 ±2	1976 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Putnam County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Hispanic or Latino	871 ±0	1.5% ±<0.1	2.1% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	53,543 ±377	93.6% ±0.7	89.7% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	274 to 810	0.5% to 1.4%	3.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	458 ±155	0.8% ±0.3	0.8% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1 to 33	< 0.1% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 30	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1%	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 452	0% to 0.8%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,533 ±407	2.7% ±0.7	3.9% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Putnam County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Born in the state	45,029 ±976	78.8% ±1.7	67.4% ±0.3	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	11,024 ±995	19.3% ±1.7	30.2% ±0.3	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	332 ±150	0.6% ±0.3	0.5% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	792 ±256	1.4% ±0.4	1.8% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	394 ±144	0.7% ±0.3	1.0% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	193 to 603	0.3% to 1.1%	0.8% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Putnam County among the counties of West Virginia

10th of 55 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the West Virginia page.

Counties of West Virginia near Putnam County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Wood County	82,385	−2.1%
Raleigh County	71,775	−3.5%
Harrison County	64,221	−2.5%
Jefferson County	63,102	+9.2%
Mercer County	57,503	−3.4%
Putnam County	56,885	−1.0%
Marion County	55,584	−1.2%
Ohio County	40,496	−4.4%
Fayette County	38,165	−5.6%
Wayne County	37,309	−4.0%
Preston County	34,004	−0.6%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026