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Demographics of West Virginia

West Virginia had 1,766,147 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −25,523 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.

West Virginia, in five figures

1,766,147
Population
July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.
1,791,670
Population in July 2020
July 1, 2020, Vintage 2025 estimate.
−1.4%
Change since July 2020
−25,523 people.
42.7 ±0.2
Median age
ACS 2020–⁠2024.
$59,608 ±$691
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 other states, with the Bureau’s small residual. The 2020 row’s components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

West Virginia shrank 1.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of 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 — nation and states, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

West Virginia shrank 1.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of 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 1PopulationChangeIndexUnited States
20201,791,670not reported100.0100.0
20211,785,921−5,74999.7100.2
20221,774,003−11,91899.0100.7
20231,770,036−3,96798.8101.6
20241,767,402−2,63498.6102.5
20251,766,147−1,25598.6103.1

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Population of West Virginia on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1PopulationChange
20201,791,670−2,089
20211,785,921−5,749
20221,774,003−11,918
20231,770,036−3,967
20241,767,402−2,634
20251,766,147−1,255

Every county in West Virginia, July 2025

Largest first. The change and its parts are July 2020 to July 2025, the five full years. “From elsewhere” is net moves from other counties, in this state or another.

Ranked: by population · by population growth

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Counties of West Virginia by population, July 2025
CountyJuly 2025Change
Kanawha County172,381−4.3%
Berkeley County139,522+13.7%
Monongalia County107,991+2.0%
Cabell County91,183−3.2%
Wood County82,385−2.1%
Raleigh County71,775−3.5%
Harrison County64,221−2.5%
Jefferson County63,102+9.2%
Mercer County57,503−3.4%
Putnam County56,885−1.0%
Marion County55,584−1.2%
Ohio County40,496−4.4%
Fayette County38,165−5.6%
Wayne County37,309−4.0%
Preston County34,004−0.6%
Greenbrier County31,578−4.0%
Logan County30,375−6.6%
Marshall County29,159−4.4%
Hancock County27,729−4.5%
Jackson County27,450−1.0%
Randolph County26,882−3.6%
Mineral County26,792−0.4%
Mason County24,707−2.7%
Hampshire County24,105+4.4%
Nicholas County23,848−2.9%
Upshur County23,758−0.3%
Mingo County21,455−8.7%
Brooke County21,142−6.0%
Boone County20,251−6.9%
Wyoming County19,801−7.1%
Lincoln County19,177−5.9%
Morgan County18,027+5.5%
McDowell County16,878−10.9%
Lewis County16,394−3.7%
Taylor County16,287−2.4%
Barbour County15,414−0.3%
Hardy County14,337+0.7%
Wetzel County13,734−4.7%
Roane County13,317−4.8%
Monroe County12,491+0.8%
Braxton County11,885−4.2%
Summers County11,532−3.3%
Grant County11,041+0.4%
Ritchie County8,034−4.6%
Tyler County7,881−5.0%
Webster County7,760−7.1%
Doddridge County7,634−1.9%
Pocahontas County7,602−3.3%
Clay County7,538−5.9%
Pleasants County7,338−4.1%
Gilmer County7,085−4.2%
Tucker County6,540−3.2%
Calhoun County5,978−3.6%
Pendleton County5,826−4.9%
Wirt County4,879−5.9%

Every one of West Virginia’s 31 places of 5,000 or more

Largest first, by the American Community Survey’s 2020–2024 count and its margin of error. A place that is also a county is listed with the counties.

Places of West Virginia by population, ACS 2020–2024
PlaceACS 2020–⁠2024
Charleston city47,421 ±38
Huntington city45,787 ±50
Morgantown city30,236 ±37
Parkersburg city29,240 ±33
Wheeling city26,350 ±207
Martinsburg city18,904 ±31
Weirton city18,647 ±41
Fairmont city18,221 ±35
Beckley city16,818 ±27
Clarksburg city15,549 ±31
Teays Valley CDP14,151 ±904
South Charleston city13,457 ±28
Cheat Lake CDP10,902 ±787
St. Albans city10,522 ±23
Vienna city10,518 ±22
Cross Lanes CDP9,671 ±1,173
Bluefield city9,387 ±20
Bridgeport city9,252 ±35
Oak Hill city7,937 ±22
Moundsville city7,869 ±25
Charles Town city7,337 ±28
Dunbar city7,254 ±26
Pea Ridge CDP6,988 ±768
Hurricane city6,855 ±38
Nitro city6,853 ±723
Elkins city6,811 ±22
Brookhaven CDP6,212 ±728
Princeton city5,736 ±32
Ranson corporation5,729 ±22
New Martinsville city5,133 ±27
Buckhannon city5,116 ±31

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 42.7 ±0.2: for men 41.5 ±0.2 and for women 44.1 ±0.2. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in West Virginia by age, ACS 2020–2024
AgePeopleShare
Under 588,061 ±6515.0% ±<0.1
5 to 17267,938 ±2,85815.1% ±0.2
18 to 24156,052 ±2,3358.8% ±0.1
25 to 44425,695 ±2,69923.9% ±0.2
45 to 64466,535 ±3,30826.2% ±0.2
65 and over374,092 ±3,74321.0% ±0.2

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $59,608 ±$691, and income per person $34,203 ±$337, in 2024 dollars. The median is $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in West Virginia by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household incomeHouseholdsShare
Under $25,000154,074 ±2,96321.1% ±0.4
$25,000 to $49,999157,320 ±3,32721.6% ±0.4
$50,000 to $74,999126,275 ±2,64617.3% ±0.4
$75,000 to $99,99992,282 ±2,64212.7% ±0.4
$100,000 to $149,999109,871 ±2,74515.1% ±0.4
$150,000 to $199,99945,935 ±1,5096.3% ±0.2
$200,000 or more42,898 ±1,6565.9% ±0.2

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 West Virginia by age, ACS 2020–2024
AgeBelow povertyRate
All ages287,953 ±6,68216.7% ±0.4
Under 1874,790 ±2,47021.5% ±0.7
18 to 59150,548 ±4,03817.0% ±0.4
60 and over62,615 ±2,12112.8% ±0.4

Housing, 2020–2024

Housing in West Virginia, ACS 2020–2024
MeasureWest VirginiaUnited States
Housing units861,325 ±394143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied84.6% ±0.489.9% ±0.1
Vacant15.4% ±0.410.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied74.9% ±0.365.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied25.1% ±0.334.8% ±0.1
Median home value$162,600 ±$1,346$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent$872 ±$8$1,413 ±$2
Median year built1976 ±11980 ±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 West Virginia by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
OriginPeopleShare
Hispanic or Latino38,175 ±4742.1% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic1,594,845 ±1,87689.7% ±0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic54,933 ±1,3563.1% ±0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic13,343 ±5910.8% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic1,277 ±2110.1% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic284 to 842< 0.1%
Some other race alone, not Hispanic5,693 ±1,0480.3% ±0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic69,544 ±2,1813.9% ±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 West Virginia by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
BornPeopleShare
Born in the state1,198,490 ±5,21167.4% ±0.3
Born in another state537,912 ±5,20730.2% ±0.3
Born a citizen outside the states9,642 ±7750.5% ±<0.1
Born abroad32,329 ±1,5281.8% ±0.1
Naturalized citizens17,639 ±1,1651.0% ±0.1
Not citizens14,690 ±1,1640.8% ±0.1

Where West Virginia ranks

Compared

Beside the state nearest it by population, and its largest counties each beside the next one down.

West Virginia elsewhere on the Factbook

  • Reported crimeCrime and justice

    Offenses reported to police by type, the trend, and the reporting coverage.

  • Most dangerous cities in West VirginiaCrime and justice

    What each agency serving 25,000 or more reported, ranked. Agency populations overlap, so these do not add up to the state.

  • Prison populationCrime and justice

    People held under the state’s correctional authority, and the imprisonment rate. A different publisher counting a different thing.

  • Arrests by race, sex and ageCrime and justice

    Arrests as the FBI’s participating agencies reported them, with what the figures can and cannot support at the top.

  • Hate crimeCrime and justice

    Incidents reported to the FBI by bias motivation, as counts — the collection publishes no participation share, so there is no rate to compare states on.

  • Federal obligationsFederal spending

    What federal agencies obligated against a place of performance in the state, per resident and by agency.

  • Registered nonprofitsNonprofits

    How many organizations the IRS lists in the state, what they report as revenue, and which kinds of work they do.

  • Payments to doctorsHealth

    What drug and device companies reported paying doctors with a practice address in the state, and the largest recipients.

  • Farm program paymentsFarm subsidies

    What the Farm Service Agency paid through the state’s county offices, by program and by recipient. The offices that administered the payments, not a count of farms: a recipient addressed elsewhere is counted where they were paid.

  • Paycheck Protection Program loansPPP loans

    The PPP loans SBA guaranteed to businesses operating in the state, by county, with how many carry a forgiveness amount and how many were charged off. Loans, not businesses: a business with two draws is two loans.

  • Public schoolsSchools

    Pupils, schools and teachers, the largest districts, what districts spend per pupil and where the money comes from, and the colleges that take federal student aid.

  • Federal civilian workforceFederal salaries

    Federal civilian employees stationed in the state by agency and occupation, with the pay OPM publishes and the share it withholds.

  • The West Virginia Factbook entryAcross the Factbook

    Every measure the Factbook publishes for this state in one place, each with where it ranks among the others and the record it came from.

The immigration hub has no page for this state: EOIR runs no immigration court here, and CBP publishes by sector and field office, which are its own areas of responsibility rather than a geography. Immigration and the border.

Sources

Data retrieved