• county
  • FIPS 54019
  • Largest town: Oak Hill

Fayette County, West Virginia

Fayette County had 38,600 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 662.0 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 55 in West Virginia by population and 6th by land area.

Population
38,600
#13 of 55 in West Virginia · #1,220 in US
Area
662.0 sq mi
#6 of 55 in West Virginia · #1,419 in US
Density
58 / sq mi
#23 of 55 in West Virginia · #1,326 in US
Median household income
$49,739
#37 of 55 in West Virginia · #2,732 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Fayette County within West Virginia. Pin: Charleston.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Fayette County

Fayette County population, land area and income

Fayette County had 38,600 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 662.0 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 55 in West Virginia by population and 6th by land area. That works out to 58.3 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in West Virginia has 21,285 residents; Fayette County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $49,739 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

38,600

3144th1st

1220th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

662 sq mi

3144th1st

1419th of 3,144 (US)

Density

58.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

1326th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$49,739

3143rd1st

2732nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within West Virginia (55)

Population

38,600

55th1st

13th of 55 (WV)

Land area

662 sq mi

55th1st

6th of 55 (WV)

Density

58.3 / sq mi

55th1st

23rd of 55 (WV)

Median household income

$49,739

55th1st

37th of 55 (WV)

How Fayette County's population changed since 2020

Fayette County lost 1,845 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 4.6%. That ranks 44th of 55 in West Virginia for growth. The median West Virginia county changed by -2.9%, and the state as a whole by -1.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Fayette County recorded 1,602 births and 3,145 deaths, a natural change of -1,543. Net international migration added +65 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -441. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 1,543 people.

40.4k202040.1k202139.4k202239.1k202338.6k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,602
Deaths
3,145
Net international migration
+65
Net domestic migration
-441
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-479

Where Fayette County is

The Census internal point of Fayette County is at 38.031000, -81.086100. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades West Virginia's 55 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Fayette County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Wirt County: -5.1%McDowell County: -9.5%Lincoln County: -4.9%Doddridge County: -2.2%Calhoun County: -5.2%Ohio County: -2.9%Barbour County: -0.6%Summers County: -3.3%Morgan County: +4.1%Raleigh County: -2.7%Hardy County: +0.7%Pendleton County: -3.0%Marshall County: -3.8%Marion County: -1.0%Ritchie County: -3.0%Lewis County: -3.2%Harrison County: -2.1%Nicholas County: -2.2%Taylor County: -1.5%Wetzel County: -4.5%Fayette County: -4.6%Monroe County: +0.6%Pocahontas County: -2.7%Roane County: -3.2%Mason County: -2.5%Wayne County: -3.3%Monongalia County: +2.6%Berkeley County: +11.1%Brooke County: -5.3%Randolph County: -2.5%Tucker County: -2.7%Braxton County: -2.8%Tyler County: -5.4%Wood County: -1.7%Clay County: -4.0%Hampshire County: +3.1%Boone County: -5.7%Jackson County: -0.0%Hancock County: -3.4%Gilmer County: -3.8%Kanawha County: -3.5%Webster County: -4.8%Mingo County: -7.6%Wyoming County: -6.4%Preston County: -0.4%Jefferson County: +6.0%Mercer County: -3.4%Putnam County: -0.7%Cabell County: -2.9%Logan County: -6.0%Greenbrier County: -3.2%Grant County: -0.2%Mineral County: -0.5%Upshur County: -0.7%Pleasants County: -3.9%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -4.8%
  2. < -3.3%
  3. < -2.7%
  4. < -0.6%
  5. ≥ -0.6%
no data

Orange pin: Fayette County internal point. Dark pin: Charleston.

Internal point

Decimal
38.031000, -81.086100
DMS
38°01'51.60"N 81°05'9.96"W
UTM
17N 492443.8E 4209258.0N
Geohash
dny26g6fs
Plus code
86CW2WJ7+CH

Towns in Fayette County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Fayette County, 13,654 people together, or 35% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Fayette County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Oak Hill with 7,732.

  1. 01Oak Hill7,732
  2. 02Fayetteville2,753
  3. 03Ansted1,288
  4. 04Mount Hope1,252
  5. 05Montgomery (part)629
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Fayette County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Fayette County. The most populous is Kanawha County, WV, with 173,906 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Charleston and the nearest big city

Charleston is 35.5 miles NW of Fayette County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 140.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Beckley, WV (population 16,515), 18.3 miles away.

Fayette County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Fayette County is 54019: state code 54 for West Virginia plus county code 019. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $49,739.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Fayette County, West Virginia?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 38,600. That is down 1,845 people (4.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 40,445.

What is the FIPS code of Fayette County?

54019. The first two digits (54) are West Virginia; the last three (019) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Fayette County?

Oak Hill, with 7,732 residents inside Fayette County in 2024.

Which counties border Fayette County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Kanawha County, WV; Raleigh County, WV; Greenbrier County, WV; Nicholas County, WV; Summers County, WV.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.