• county
  • FIPS 54079
  • Largest town: Hurricane

Putnam County, West Virginia

Putnam County had 57,067 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 345.7 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 55 in West Virginia by population and 36th by land area.

Population
57,067
#10 of 55 in West Virginia · #922 in US
Area
345.7 sq mi
#36 of 55 in West Virginia · #2,690 in US
Density
165 / sq mi
#11 of 55 in West Virginia · #641 in US
Median household income
$72,073
#3 of 55 in West Virginia · #850 in US

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

Putnam County within West Virginia. Pin: Charleston.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Putnam County

Putnam County population, land area and income

Putnam County had 57,067 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 345.7 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 55 in West Virginia by population and 36th by land area. That works out to 165.1 people per square mile, 1.7 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 Putnam County is 2.7 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $72,073 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

57,067

3144th1st

922nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

346 sq mi

3144th1st

2690th of 3,144 (US)

Density

165.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

641st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$72,073

3143rd1st

850th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within West Virginia (55)

Population

57,067

55th1st

10th of 55 (WV)

Land area

346 sq mi

55th1st

36th of 55 (WV)

Density

165.1 / sq mi

55th1st

11th of 55 (WV)

Median household income

$72,073

55th1st

3rd of 55 (WV)

How Putnam County's population changed since 2020

Putnam County lost 376 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.7%. That ranks 13th 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, Putnam County recorded 2,158 births and 3,001 deaths, a natural change of -843. Net international migration added +255 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +203. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 843 people.

57.4k202057.4k202157.1k202256.9k202357.1k2024
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
2,158
Deaths
3,001
Net international migration
+255
Net domestic migration
+203
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+125

Where Putnam County is

The Census internal point of Putnam County is at 38.510500, -81.906100. 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 Putnam 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: Putnam County internal point. Dark pin: Charleston.

Internal point

Decimal
38.510500, -81.906100
DMS
38°30'37.80"N 81°54'21.96"W
UTM
17N 421000.7E 4262847.5N
Geohash
dnvg04tgc
Plus code
86CWG36V+6H

Towns in Putnam County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Putnam County, 13,051 people together, or 23% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Putnam County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Hurricane with 6,813.

  1. 01Hurricane6,813
  2. 02Winfield2,428
  3. 03Eleanor1,523
  4. 04Buffalo1,200
  5. 05Nitro (part)1,087
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Putnam County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Putnam 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 20.0 miles SE of Putnam County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Columbus, OH (population 933,263), 117.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is St. Albans, WV (population 10,301), 10.3 miles away.

Putnam County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Putnam County is 54079: state code 54 for West Virginia plus county code 079. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $72,073.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Putnam County, West Virginia?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 57,067. That is down 376 people (0.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 57,443.

What is the FIPS code of Putnam County?

54079. The first two digits (54) are West Virginia; the last three (079) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Putnam County?

Hurricane, with 6,813 residents inside Putnam County in 2024.

Which counties border Putnam County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Kanawha County, WV; Cabell County, WV; Jackson County, WV; Mason County, WV; Lincoln 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.