Irish Population in West Virginia by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the Irish population in West Virginia totals 219,277. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Kanawha County leading at 19,808, followed by Berkeley County (18,115) and Monongalia County (13,830). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in West Virginia by their Irish population, offering insights into regional distribution patterns and highlighting county-level concentrations across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Irish population in West Virginia

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  • 1
    Kanawha County
    Irish population in Kanawha County is 19,808
    11.12% of Kanawha County population is Irish
  • 2
    Berkeley County
    Irish population in Berkeley County is 18,115
    14.36% of Berkeley County population is Irish
  • 3
    Monongalia County
    Irish population in Monongalia County is 13,830
    12.98% of Monongalia County population is Irish
  • 4
    Wood County
    Irish population in Wood County is 11,376
    13.57% of Wood County population is Irish
  • 5
    Cabell County
    Irish population in Cabell County is 10,627
    11.39% of Cabell County population is Irish

Overview of Irish population in West Virginia

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show West Virginia contains 219,277 Irish residents (12.3% of 1.8 million total state population), positioning the state at the 27th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Irish population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate West Virginia's Irish population of 12.3% exceeds the national average of 9.4% by a factor of 1.3.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates West Virginia contains 219,277 Irish residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Irish population of 31.2 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows West Virginia's density of 9.1 Irish Americans per square mile corresponds to the national average, aligning the state with national demographic distribution patterns.
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55 Counties in West Virginia Ranked by Irish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Irish populations across every county in West Virginia, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Kanawha County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in West Virginia ranked by Irish population count
Rank by Irish Population
County
Irish Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total West Virginia Irish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Kanawha County 19,808 11.12% 9.03%
2 Berkeley County 18,115 14.36% 8.26%
3 Monongalia County 13,830 12.98% 6.31%
4 Wood County 11,376 13.57% 5.19%
5 Cabell County 10,627 11.39% 4.85%
6 Harrison County 10,335 15.80% 4.71%
7 Marion County 8,938 15.95% 4.08%
8 8,437 14.41% 3.85%
9 7,909 10.74% 3.61%
10 6,990 11.84% 3.19%
11 6,563 15.66% 2.99%
12 5,961 10.41% 2.72%
13 5,073 17.70% 2.31%
14 4,616 11.54% 2.11%
15 4,538 15.06% 2.07%
16 4,284 15.42% 1.95%
17 3,780 15.46% 1.72%
18 3,714 15.63% 1.69%
19 3,596 10.51% 1.64%
20 3,587 16.27% 1.64%
21 3,469 10.61% 1.58%
22 3,313 8.61% 1.51%
23 3,181 11.82% 1.45%
24 3,077 13.18% 1.40%
25 2,916 9.16% 1.33%
26 2,808 10.12% 1.28%
27 2,640 17.08% 1.20%
28 2,428 9.63% 1.11%
29 2,348 10.22% 1.07%
30 2,186 13.21% 1.00%
31 2,113 12.57% 0.96%
32 1,964 9.38% 0.90%
33 1,838 10.61% 0.84%
34 1,751 9.51% 0.80%
35 1,649 11.59% 0.75%
36 1,637 13.26% 0.75%
37 1,591 7.47% 0.73%
38 1,435 10.31% 0.65%
39 1,372 6.80% 0.63%
40 1,134 9.58% 0.52%
41 1,113 7.82% 0.51%
42 1,063 8.57% 0.48%
43 1,021 13.15% 0.47%
44 1,019 12.82% 0.46%
45 997 11.91% 0.45%
46 967 12.77% 0.44%
47 875 10.70% 0.40%
48 860 10.42% 0.39%
49 849 13.79% 0.39%
50 805 10.91% 0.37%
51 795 10.12% 0.36%
52 735 6.70% 0.34%
53 575 8.58% 0.26%
54 344 5.63% 0.16%
55 332 6.47% 0.15%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in West Virginia by their Irish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Irish population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Irish ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Irish alone, while others identify as Irish along with another race (such as Irish and German).
  • We’ve used the “Irish alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Irish population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Irish alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Irish .
  2. % of Total West Virginia Irish Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Irish population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Irish populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported Irish population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Irish populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.