Wetzel County, West Virginia

Wetzel County population, land area and income

Wetzel County had 13,766 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 358.1 square miles of land. It ranks 38th of 55 in West Virginia by population and 34th by land area. That works out to 38.4 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; Wetzel County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $56,296 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Wetzel County's population changed since 2020

Wetzel County lost 646 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 4.5%. That ranks 43rd 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, Wetzel County recorded 636 births and 1,126 deaths, a natural change of -490. Net international migration added +56 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -248. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 490 people.

Where Wetzel County is

The Census internal point of Wetzel County is at 39.598200, -80.635400. 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 Wetzel County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Wetzel County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Wetzel County, 6,652 people together, or 48% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Wetzel County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is New Martinsville with 5,038.

Counties bordering Wetzel County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Wetzel County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Monongalia County, WV, with 108,697 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Monongalia County

  108,697 people

  31 mi E

• Harrison County

  64,472 people

  26 mi SSE

• Marion County

  55,649 people

  22 mi ESE

• PA

  Greene County, PA

  33,960 people

  28 mi NE

• Marshall County

  29,354 people

  18 mi N

• OH

  Monroe County, OH

  13,051 people

  26 mi WNW

• Tyler County

  7,843 people

  16 mi SW

• Doddridge County

  7,615 people

  23 mi S

Distance to Charleston and the nearest big city

Charleston is 101.8 miles SSW of Wetzel County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Pittsburgh, PA (population 307,668), 67.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Clarksburg, WV (population 15,262), 27.0 miles away.

Wetzel County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Wetzel County is 54103: state code 54 for West Virginia plus county code 103. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $56,296.