The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In West Virginia For 2023


The fastest-growing cities in West Virginia are Charles Town and Bridgeport for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

Is being in an area of West Virginia that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on who you ask.

Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Charleston and Huntington, while others want peace and quiet like in Grafton and New Martinsville, thank you very much.

But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in West Virginia have grown the fastest.

After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Mountain State that have people climbing over each other to get in.

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In West Virginia For 2023

  1. Charles Town
  2. Bridgeport
  3. Hurricane
  4. Martinsburg
  5. Oak Hill
  6. South Charleston
  7. Morgantown
  8. Vienna
  9. Beckley
  10. St. Albans

What’s the fastest growing city in West Virginia for 2023? Based on the most recent ACS data, Charles Town ranks as the fastest-growing city in West Virginia. If you happen to be a resident of Charles Town, you’re probably not surprised to find it on our list.

If you’re surprised — and you’re wondering why these places are a big deal — keep reading. We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in West Virginia grow like weeds.

For more West Virginia state reading:


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In West Virginia For 2023

1. Charles Town

Charles Town, WV

Source: Wikipedia User Acroterion | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 6,373
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Population 2010: 5,074
Percent Growth 25.6%
Absolute Growth: 1,299
More on Charles Town: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

2. Bridgeport

Bridgeport, WV

Source: Wikipedia User JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ M.D. | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,165
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Population 2010: 7,978
Percent Growth 14.9%
Absolute Growth: 1,187
More on Bridgeport: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

3. Hurricane

Hurricane, WV

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,901
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Population 2010: 6,264
Percent Growth 10.2%
Absolute Growth: 637
More on Hurricane: Real Estate | Data | Cost Of Living

4. Martinsburg

Martinsburg, WV

Source: Wikipedia User Howcheng | Attribution
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 18,502
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Population 2010: 17,133
Percent Growth 8.0%
Absolute Growth: 1,369
More on Martinsburg: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

5. Oak Hill

Oak Hill, WV

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 3.0 us
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 8,228
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 7,659
Percent Growth 7.4%
Absolute Growth: 569
More on Oak Hill: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

6. South Charleston

South Charleston, WV

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,595
Rank Last Year: 18 (Up 12)
Population 2010: 13,390
Percent Growth 1.5%
Absolute Growth: 205
More on South Charleston: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

7. Morgantown

Morgantown, WV

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 29,316
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 3)
Population 2010: 29,076
Percent Growth 0.8%
Absolute Growth: 240
More on Morgantown: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

8. Vienna

Vienna, WV

Source: Wikipedia User Snoopywv | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,676
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 3)
Population 2010: 10,724
Percent Growth -0.4%
Absolute Growth: -48
More on Vienna: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

9. Beckley

Beckley, WV

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 3.0 us
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 17,261
Rank Last Year: 19 (Up 10)
Population 2010: 17,503
Percent Growth -1.4%
Absolute Growth: -242
More on Beckley: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

10. St. Albans

St. Albans, WV

Source: Wikipedia User Acroterion | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 10,842
Rank Last Year: 24 (Up 14)
Population 2010: 11,071
Percent Growth -2.1%
Absolute Growth: -229
More on St. Albans: Real Estate | Data | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Mountain State for 2023

To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:

  • Current Population
  • Population in 2010
  • Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2021)

We ranked all 26 West Virginia cities with a population over 4,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.

The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Mountain State.

And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:

[Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010]

The data has been updated for 2023. This report is our tenth time ranking the fastest growing cities in West Virginia.

Here’s a graph of the cities in West Virginia with the most significant percent increase in population:
Fastest Growing Cities in West Virginia Graph For 2023

Click to enlarge

Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In West Virginia, You Know?

So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in West Virginia are led by Charles Town which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.

It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

  1. Moundsville
  2. Grafton
  3. Bluefield

For more West Virginia reading, check out:

Detailed List Of Fastest Growing Places In West Virginia For 2023

Rank City Growth Population Population 2010
1 Charles Town 25.6% 6,373 5,074
2 Bridgeport 14.9% 9,165 7,978
3 Hurricane 10.2% 6,901 6,264
4 Martinsburg 8.0% 18,502 17,133
5 Oak Hill 7.4% 8,228 7,659
6 South Charleston 1.5% 13,595 13,390
7 Morgantown 0.8% 29,316 29,076
8 Vienna -0.4% 10,676 10,724
9 Beckley -1.4% 17,261 17,503
10 St. Albans -2.1% 10,842 11,071
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.