Mercer County, West Virginia

Mercer County population, land area and income

Mercer County had 57,524 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 419.0 square miles of land. It ranks 9th of 55 in West Virginia by population and 28th by land area. That works out to 137.3 people per square mile, 1.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in West Virginia has 21,285 residents, so Mercer County is 2.7 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $47,084 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Mercer County's population changed since 2020

Mercer County lost 1,995 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 3.4%. That ranks 36th 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, Mercer County recorded 2,407 births and 4,485 deaths, a natural change of -2,078. Net international migration added +164 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -217. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 2,078 people.

Where Mercer County is

The Census internal point of Mercer County is at 37.403400, -81.106500. 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 Mercer County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Mercer County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Mercer County, 15,930 people together, or 28% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Mercer County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Bluefield with 9,157.

Counties bordering Mercer County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Mercer County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Raleigh County, WV, with 72,379 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Raleigh County

  72,379 people

  26 mi NNW

• VA

  Tazewell County, VA

  38,875 people

  32 mi SW

• Wyoming County

  19,964 people

  28 mi WNW

• McDowell County

  17,147 people

  30 mi W

• VA

  Giles County, VA

  16,533 people

  23 mi ESE

• Summers County

  11,544 people

  22 mi NE

• VA

  Bland County, VA

  6,186 people

  19 mi S

Distance to Charleston and the nearest big city

Charleston is 70.1 miles NNW of Mercer County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 101.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Beckley, WV (population 16,515), 25.7 miles away.

Mercer County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Mercer County is 54055: state code 54 for West Virginia plus county code 055. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $47,084.