West Virginia Counties Map: Click All 55 Counties

How many counties are in West Virginia?

West Virginia has 55 counties. 28 states have more, and 21 have fewer.

West Virginia has 55 counties. It became a state in 1863, when its counties split from Virginia during the Civil War. Kanawha County holds the capital, Charleston, and has the most people. The state has two panhandles, which makes its outline easy to spot.

How West Virginia's counties were formed

West Virginia's counties were part of Virginia until 1863, when the state was formed with 50 counties during the Civil War. Berkeley and Jefferson counties were added in 1866 after a dispute that reached the US Supreme Court. Mineral, Grant, Lincoln and Summers counties were created next, and Mingo County, split from Logan County in 1895, was the 55th and last.

West Virginia regions and the counties in each

West Virginia is all mountains, but its regions differ. The Northern Panhandle includes Hancock, Brooke, Ohio (Wheeling) and Marshall counties. The Eastern Panhandle is Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan, with Harpers Ferry. The Potomac Highlands include Pocahontas, Pendleton, Randolph and Tucker, near Spruce Knob, the highest point. The coalfields of the south include Logan, Mingo, McDowell and Raleigh, and the Mid-Ohio Valley includes Wood County (Parkersburg).

Notable places on the West Virginia county map

Spruce Knob, the state's highest point at 4,863 feet, is in Pendleton County. New River Gorge National Park, where the bridge is one of the longest single-span arch bridges in the world, is in Fayette, Raleigh and Summers counties. Harpers Ferry, where the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers meet, is in Jefferson County.

West Virginia counties map: the biggest and smallest

Randolph County is the largest county in West Virginia, with 1,040 square miles of land, about 4% of the state. That's more land than the whole state of Rhode Island. Hancock County is the smallest, at 83 square miles.

The smallest counties by land area are Hancock County (83 sq mi), Brooke County (89 sq mi) and Ohio County (106 sq mi).

Which counties in West Virginia have the most people?

Kanawha County has the most people, about 173,906 in the Census Bureau's July 2024 estimate, or 10% of everyone in West Virginia. The three biggest counties together hold 24% of the state's 1,769,979 people. Wirt County has the fewest, about 4,924.

The most crowded is Berkeley County, with about 424 people per square mile. The emptiest is Pocahontas County, with about 8 people per square mile. Comparing the two is a quick way to show children that a big county on the map isn't always a big county in people.

What county is Charleston in?

Charleston, the capital of West Virginia, is in Kanawha County. It's also the county with the most people. West Virginia is called the Mountain State, and it became the 35th state in 1863.

Counties on the West Virginia border

Learning the edge of the map first gives children a frame to fill in. West Virginia shares a border with Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

How West Virginia's counties compare with other states

West Virginia ranks 41st among the 50 states in land area and 39th in population. Its average county covers about 437 square miles and holds about 32,181 people. Across the 50 states, the average county-level area covers about 1,139 square miles and holds about 109,381 people, so West Virginia's counties are smaller than usual in size. Small counties pack more names into the same space, so zooming in helps.

Landmarks for learning the counties of West Virginia

• The Northern Panhandle is a thin strip between Ohio and Pennsylvania, with Hancock County at the top.
• The Eastern Panhandle reaches toward Maryland and Virginia, with Jefferson County at its tip.
• Kanawha County (Charleston) is in the middle of the state.

With 55 counties, work one region at a time: study it with names on, then take a Practice round and stop when you've found that group. Then print the West Virginia county map worksheet to check that it sticks on paper.

All 55 West Virginia counties

Every county on the map, A to Z, with its land area and July 2024 population estimate.

West Virginia geography for homeschoolers

Pair this map with the Southeast states and capitals quiz and the US states quiz. If you teach at home, see west virginia homeschool laws, and check west virginia school choice to see whether a program may help pay for West Virginia history and geography curriculum. Each program decides what it covers.