McDowell County faces population decline as West Virginia loses residents

McDowell County’s population dropped to 16,878, down from 19,111 in 2020, a loss of 2,064 residents that leaves one of West Virginia’s most fragile counties with fewer workers, fewer customers, and less support for public services. The county’s employment rate stood at 24.9 percent in the latest Census profile, and it had just 213 employer establishments, numbers that show how thin the local economic base has become.

The decline is part of a broader state pattern that showed up again in recent Census figures. West Virginia’s population fell 1.5 percent from the April 1, 2020 Census base to an estimated 1,766,147 on July 1, 2025. Only eight of the state’s 55 counties gained residents over that stretch. Berkeley County led the gains, adding 16,829 people and growing 13.7 percent, while McDowell County fell 10.9 percent, one of the steepest losses in the state.

That divide matters because population loss is not just about empty houses. McDowell County had 9,336 housing units and 6,467 households, along with a median household income of $31,559 and a bachelor’s degree rate of 6.8 percent. Nearly 23 percent of residents were age 65 or older, which means the county must serve an older population with a smaller workforce and a weaker tax base. As more residents leave, the county has to spread the cost of schools, roads, utilities, and emergency services across fewer people.

The health picture reinforces the strain. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps defines life expectancy as an average based on current mortality experience, and McDowell sits in a part of southern West Virginia where poor health outcomes and population loss feed each other. The county’s public health profile shows one hospital serving the area and identifies primary care and mental health as shortage areas, making it harder to attract families and workers who want dependable access to care.

West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy analysis found that only Berkeley and Monongalia counties had natural population growth from 2020 to 2025. All other counties except Jefferson had more deaths than births, and McDowell also lost population through migration. That is the cycle local leaders are up against: fewer residents mean less investment, fewer jobs, and still more outmigration.

Hoppy Kercheval argued that lower taxes alone will not reverse that trend, and said the state needs a wider strategy that includes workforce-ready education, site preparation for business, and development beyond the eastern panhandle and Morgantown area. House Republican leaders unveiled the Jobs First - Opportunity Everywhere agenda in December as part of that push, but McDowell’s numbers show how much harder the challenge is in the southern coalfield counties.