West Virginia Population

Overview

1.80 million

Total Population

42.6

Median age

50.21%

Female population %

99.2:100

Gender ratio (M:F)

60-64 years

Largest age group

57.9

Total dependency ratio

White

Largest racial group

30,196

Hispanic population

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Age

West Virginia's population is old compared to the rest of the country:

The median age in West Virginia is 42.6, compared to 38.8 nationwide, according to the American Community Survey 2017 - 2021 5 Year estimates.
West Virginia's population under 18 was 20.35%, compared to the 22.51% nationwide.
West Virginia's elderly or the senior population (over 65 age) was 19.93% as compared to 16.04% nationwide.
Of the total population in West Virginia, 16.75% were under the age of 15, 18.28% aged 15 to 29, 45.04% aged 30 to 64, 17.78% aged 65 to 84, and 2.14% were 85 years of age and older.

There are 7,603 more females than males in West Virginia:

The female percentage in the USA is 50.50% while the male percentage is 49.50%, compared to 50.21% females and 49.79% males in West Virginia.
The West Virginia gender ratio is 99.2:100 i.e. 99.2 men to 100 women (0.992).
For male population, the largest age group is 60-64 years with a population of 64,457.
For the female population, the largest age group is 60-64 years with a population of 68,315.

West Virginia's population has become increasingly diverse:

Racial distribution of West Virginia population: 92.08% are White, 3.39% are Black or African American, 0.11% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.77% are Asian, 0.04% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.53% are some other race and 3.08% are multiracial.
West Virginia's racial breakdown clearly shows that there is an absolute majority of White population in the state.
By ethnicity, 30,196 is Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 1.77 million (98.32% of the total population) is Non-Hispanic.
The largest racial group in West Virginia is White with a population of 1.66 million (92.08% of the total population).

West Virginia's population has already reached its peak and is showing a trend of decline:

The peak population was 1,857,446 in the year 2012
From 2000 to 2010, West Virginia's population increased by 47,571 (2.63%), as compared to the national growth of 9.63%.
From 2010 to 2020, West Virginia's population decreased by 62,845 (3.39%), according to Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program. For the same period, the rate of growth for the United States was 7.17%.
Between the year 2000 and 2022, West Virginia's population was lowest in year 2022 at 1,775,156.