West Virginia · 26 places of 5,000+

Largest cities in West Virginia by population

Short answer

Charleston is the largest city in West Virginia with 46,482 residents in 2024, followed by Huntington (44,942) and Morgantown (30,490).
Largest
46,482
Places 5,000+
26
100,000+
0

The 20 largest

Charleston leads with 46,482 residents, 1.0 times the 44,942 of second-place Huntington. The ten largest places hold 264,012 people, 15% of the state's 1,769,979. No place in West Virginia reaches 100,000.

The median place of 5,000+ is Bridgeport at 9,397. Within the top ten, Martinsburg grew most since July 2020 (+1.7%) and Charleston least (-4.4%). 4 of the 26 places cross a county line; their totals include every county part.

  1. 01Charleston46,482
  2. 02Huntington44,942
  3. 03Morgantown30,490
  4. 04Parkersburg28,834
  5. 05Wheeling26,060
  6. 06Martinsburg19,047
  7. 07Weirton18,317
  8. 08Fairmont18,063
  9. 09Beckley16,515
  10. 10Clarksburg15,262
  11. 11South Charleston13,177
  12. 12Vienna10,406
  13. 13St. Albans10,301
  14. 14Bridgeport9,397
  15. 15Bluefield9,157
  16. 16Charles Town8,869
  17. 17Oak Hill7,732
  18. 18Moundsville7,703
  19. 19Dunbar7,111
  20. 20Hurricane6,813
July 1, 2024 population, Census Vintage 2024.

Dots: the 20 places in the chart. Orange pin: Charleston, ranked first.

All 26 places of 5,000+ ranked

#Place2024Since 2020County
1Charleston46,482-4.4%Kanawha County
2Huntington44,942-3.9%Cabell County +1
3Morgantown30,490+1.4%Monongalia County
4Parkersburg28,834-2.8%Wood County
5Wheeling26,060-3.2%Ohio County +1
6Martinsburg19,047+1.7%Berkeley County
7Weirton18,317-4.2%Hancock County +1
8Fairmont18,063-1.9%Marion County
9Beckley16,515-4.1%Raleigh County
10Clarksburg15,262-4.1%Harrison County
11South Charleston13,177-4.8%Kanawha County
12Vienna10,406-2.2%Wood County
13St. Albans10,301-4.8%Kanawha County
14Bridgeport9,397+1.7%Harrison County
15Bluefield9,157-4.7%Mercer County
16Charles Town8,869+35.9%Jefferson County
17Oak Hill7,732-5.2%Fayette County
18Moundsville7,703-4.5%Marshall County
19Dunbar7,111-4.6%Kanawha County
20Hurricane6,813-2.0%Putnam County
21Elkins6,698-3.3%Randolph County
22Nitro6,366-3.5%Kanawha County +1
23Ranson6,035+10.2%Jefferson County
24Princeton5,595-4.5%Mercer County
25Buckhannon5,049-2.5%Upshur County
26New Martinsville5,038-3.2%Wetzel County
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates. Counties from the SUMLEV 157 county parts.

Questions people ask

What is the largest city in West Virginia?

Charleston, with 46,482 residents on July 1, 2024 in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

What is the second largest city in West Virginia?

Huntington, with 44,942 residents, 1,540 fewer than Charleston.

How many cities in West Virginia have more than 100,000 people?

None. The largest, Charleston, has 46,482.

How is city size measured here?

By the Census Bureau's July 1, 2024 population estimate for each incorporated place, inside its legal city limits. Metro areas and census-designated places are not ranked.

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 subcounty population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, places

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