West Virginia is a state in the American South. In terms of population, the Mountain State ranks in the bottom fourth of states, and it is placed 41st out of 50 in terms of size. The state’s population was 1,793,755 in 2020. According to the most recent forecasts, the population will reduce to 1,755,156 between 2020 and 2022. Today, we’ll look at West Virginia’s fastest-shrinking counties, revealing which areas lost population and why.
The data for this article came from the United States Census Bureau’s estimates for the period April 2020 to July 2022, which were released in 2023. During that period, the state lost 1% of its population. However, such losses were more prevalent in some areas of the state than others, and this list will show you where the most losses happened.
Fayette County
| Population Loss | Percent Loss |
| Population Lost: 998 | 2.47% |
Fayette County is located in southwestern West Virginia. The county is home to the New River, the oldest river in the United States. Oak Hill, the region’s largest city, has a population of roughly 9,000 people.
Fayette County has a population of 40,485 at the start of 2020. However, by 2022, that figure had dropped to 39,487. This county’s population loss was 998 persons or 2.47% of the total population. At first view, this loss may not appear serious because it included only 998 persons. However, when the initial population is only approximately 40,000 people, a loss of 1,000 is significant.
Mingo County
| Population Loss | Percent Loss |
| Population Lost: 1,001 | 4.25% |
Mingo County is located in southeastern West Virginia and borders Kentucky at the Tug Fork, a tributary of the Big Sandy River. Williamson is the county seat of Mingo County. In 2020, the population of that city was only 3,042 persons.
Mingo County had a population of 23,574 people in 2020. This county’s population fell by 1,001 individuals to 22,573 as of 2022, a little decrease. This county’s population decrease percentage is 4.25%. Mingo County has the highest percentage of population loss of any county in West Virginia.
Harrison County
| Population Loss | Percent Loss |
| Population Lost: 1,007 | 1.53% |
Harrison County is located in northern Indiana and is divided by the West Fork River. There are also various lakes and waterways in the county. Harrison County has a population of 65,922 people in 2020. According to the most recent estimates, the region’s population has decreased by 1,007 people to 64,915 people. This represents 1.53% of the region’s population.
As a result of this demographic decline, Harrison County is one of West Virginia’s fastest-declining counties. However, as this list has shown, even the state’s fastest-shrinking counties are not losing tens of thousands of people.
Logan County
| Population Loss | Percent Loss |
| Population Lost: 1,256 | 3.85% |
Logan County is located in southeastern West Virginia. Logan, the county’s main city, has a population of 1,433 people. The Guyandotte River flows to the west of the city’s core.
Logan County has a population of 32,572 persons as of April 2020, when the most recent U.S. census was taken. However, the estimated population in this area in 2022 is only 31,316 individuals. This region lost 1,256 inhabitants, accounting for 3.85% of the total population. This county is yet another on the list with a high percentage of individuals leaving the region.
Cabell County
| Population Loss | Percent Loss |
| Population Lost: 1,616 | 1.72% |
Cabell County has the state’s fourth-largest population. This county is located in southeastern West Virginia and shares an Ohio River boundary with Ohio.
Cabell County had a population of 94,346 people in 2020. According to the most latest predictions for 2022, the population of this county is now 92,730 people. This is one of West Virginia’s fastest-shrinking counties in terms of the number of inhabitants lost. Between 2020 and 2022, approximately 1,616 people left this region. In other words, 1.72% of the country’s population left.