Demographics of Ritchie County, West Virginia

Ritchie County, West Virginia had 8,034 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −390 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.

Ritchie County, in four figures

8,034
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −4.6%
Change since July 2020: −390 people.; 46.1 ±0.5
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $50,582 ±$4,402
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.

Ritchie County, West Virginia's population shrank 4.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Ritchie 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

Ritchie County, West Virginia's population shrank 4.6% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Ritchie 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	8,424	100.0	100.0
2021	8,413	99.9	100.2
2022	8,238	97.8	100.7
2023	8,161	96.9	101.6
2024	8,122	96.4	102.5
2025	8,034	95.4	103.1

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Population of Ritchie 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	8,424	−23	−12	0	−11
2021	8,413	−11	−43	+2	+22
2022	8,238	−175	−64	+2	−117
2023	8,161	−77	−68	+5	−13
2024	8,122	−39	−62	+5	+19
2025	8,034	−88	−63	+5	−30

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 46.1 ±0.5: for men 46.2 ±0.5 and for women 45.9 ±0.7. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Ritchie County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Under 5	397 ±25	4.8% ±0.3	5.0% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	1,249 ±156	15.1% ±1.9	15.1% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	548 ±126	6.6% ±1.5	8.8% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	1,814 ±182	21.9% ±2.2	23.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	2,373 ±172	28.6% ±2.1	26.2% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	1,905 ±207	23.0% ±2.5	21.0% ±0.2	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $50,582 ±$4,402, and income per person $27,681 ±$2,328, 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 Ritchie County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	West Virginia	United States
Under $25,000	803 ±159	23.7% ±4.5	21.1% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	868 ±151	25.6% ±4.3	21.6% ±0.4	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	507 ±129	15.0% ±3.7	17.3% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	534 ±156	15.8% ±4.5	12.7% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	404 ±105	11.9% ±3.0	15.1% ±0.4	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	98 to 294	2.9% to 8.7%	6.3% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	31 to 123	0.9% to 3.6%	5.9% ±0.2	13.4% ±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%.

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 Ritchie County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	West Virginia	United States
All ages	1,742 ±378	21.6% ±4.7	16.7% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	397 ±141	26.9% ±8.5	21.5% ±0.7	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	666 ±164	16.8% ±4.0	17.0% ±0.4	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	679 ±192	25.7% ±6.8	12.8% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Ritchie County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Ritchie County	West Virginia	United States
Housing units	4,176 ±16	861,325 ±394	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	81.2% ±4.1	84.6% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	18.8% ±4.1	15.4% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	84.2% ±2.7	74.9% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	15.8% ±3.8	25.1% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$115,900 ±$8,350	$162,600 ±$1,346	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$579 ±$154	$872 ±$8	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1975 ±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 Ritchie County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Hispanic or Latino	0 to 151	0% to 1.8%	2.1% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	7,992 ±10	96.5% ±0.1	89.7% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	0 to 22	0% to 0.3%	3.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	29 to 193	0.3% to 2.3%	0.8% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 18	0% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 18	0% to 0.2%	< 0.1%	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 4	0% to < 0.1%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	114 ±47	1.4% ±0.6	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 Ritchie County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	West Virginia	United States
Born in the state	6,586 ±219	79.5% ±2.6	67.4% ±0.3	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	1,580 ±231	19.1% ±2.8	30.2% ±0.3	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 18	0% to 0.2%	0.5% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	38 to 202	0.5% to 2.4%	1.8% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	1 to 97	< 0.1% to 1.2%	1.0% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	0 to 157	0% to 1.9%	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%.

Ritchie County among the counties of West Virginia

44th of 55 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the West Virginia page.

Counties of West Virginia near Ritchie County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Roane County	13,317	−4.8%
Monroe County	12,491	+0.8%
Braxton County	11,885	−4.2%
Summers County	11,532	−3.3%
Grant County	11,041	+0.4%
Ritchie County	8,034	−4.6%
Tyler County	7,881	−5.0%
Webster County	7,760	−7.1%
Doddridge County	7,634	−1.9%
Pocahontas County	7,602	−3.3%
Clay County	7,538	−5.9%

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