• county
  • FIPS 54067
  • Largest town: Summersville

Nicholas County, West Virginia

Nicholas County had 24,017 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 646.8 square miles of land. It ranks 24th of 55 in West Virginia by population and 8th by land area.

Population
24,017
#24 of 55 in West Virginia · #1,648 in US
Area
646.8 sq mi
#8 of 55 in West Virginia · #1,464 in US
Density
37 / sq mi
#35 of 55 in West Virginia · #1,742 in US
Median household income
$48,515
#40 of 55 in West Virginia · #2,805 in US

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

Nicholas County within West Virginia. Pin: Charleston.

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Nicholas County population, land area and income

Nicholas County had 24,017 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 646.8 square miles of land. It ranks 24th of 55 in West Virginia by population and 8th by land area. That works out to 37.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $48,515 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

24,017

3144th1st

1648th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

647 sq mi

3144th1st

1464th of 3,144 (US)

Density

37.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

1742nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$48,515

3143rd1st

2805th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within West Virginia (55)

Population

24,017

55th1st

24th of 55 (WV)

Land area

647 sq mi

55th1st

8th of 55 (WV)

Density

37.1 / sq mi

55th1st

35th of 55 (WV)

Median household income

$48,515

55th1st

40th of 55 (WV)

How Nicholas County's population changed since 2020

Nicholas County lost 545 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.2%. That ranks 19th 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, Nicholas County recorded 884 births and 1,733 deaths, a natural change of -849. Net international migration added +164 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +93. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 849 people.

24.6k202024.4k202124.3k202224.1k202324.0k2024
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
884
Deaths
1,733
Net international migration
+164
Net domestic migration
+93
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-87

Where Nicholas County is

The Census internal point of Nicholas County is at 38.291400, -80.797500. 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 Nicholas 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: Nicholas County internal point. Dark pin: Charleston.

Internal point

Decimal
38.291400, -80.797500
DMS
38°17'29.04"N 80°47'51.00"W
UTM
17N 517708.4E 4238166.7N
Geohash
dny9c6tp9
Plus code
86CX76R2+HX

Towns in Nicholas County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Nicholas County, 4,933 people together, or 21% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Nicholas County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Summersville with 3,326.

  1. 01Summersville3,326
  2. 02Richwood1,607
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Nicholas County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Nicholas 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 44.3 miles W of Nicholas County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Winston-Salem, NC (population 255,769), 154.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Beckley, WV (population 16,515), 40.9 miles away.

Nicholas County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Nicholas County is 54067: state code 54 for West Virginia plus county code 067. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $48,515.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Nicholas County, West Virginia?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 24,017. That is down 545 people (2.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 24,562.

What is the FIPS code of Nicholas County?

54067. The first two digits (54) are West Virginia; the last three (067) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Nicholas County?

Summersville, with 3,326 residents inside Nicholas County in 2024.

Which counties border Nicholas County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Kanawha County, WV; Fayette County, WV; Greenbrier County, WV; Braxton County, WV; Webster County, WV; Clay 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.