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 Buckhannon 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.
44.6% growth since 2010 · 2,263 net new residents
Charles Town, officially the City of Charles Town, is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, and is also the county seat. The population was 5,259 at the 2010 United States Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
16.0% growth since 2010 · 1,274 net new residents
Located in
Harrison County, West Virginia
Bridgeport is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 8,149 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
10.3% growth since 2010 · 1,771 net new residents
Located in
Berkeley County, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in and the county seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, in the tip of the state’s Eastern Panhandle region. Its population was 17,687 in the 2016 census estimate, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the ninth-largest municipality in the state. Martinsburg is part of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.4% growth since 2010 · 591 net new residents
Located in
Putnam County, West Virginia
Hurricane is a city in Putnam County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 6,284 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.0% growth since 2010 · 1,160 net new residents
Located in
Monongalia County, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, situated along the banks of the Monongahela River. With a permanent population of 31,073 per the 2015 U.S. Census estimates, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia. The Morgantown metropolitan area has a population of 138,176, and is the 3rd largest in West Virginia. West Virginia University adds several thousand seasonal residents to the city and surrounding area from September through May. Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia University and the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
3.6% growth since 2010 · 278 net new residents
Located in
Fayette County, West Virginia
Oak Hill is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States and is the primary city within the Oak Hill, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area. The micropolitan area is also included in the Beckley-Oak Hill, WV Combined Statistical Area. The population was 7,730 at the 2010 census. Country singer Hank Williams was discovered to be dead while the car in which he was a passenger was stopped in Oak Hill, and Oak Hill is generally accepted to be his place of death.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.5% growth since 2010 · 67 net new residents
Located in
Kanawha County, West Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-1.9% growth since 2010 · -206 net new residents
Located in
Wood County, West Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-3.2% growth since 2010 · -230 net new residents
Located in
Putnam County, West Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-3.4% growth since 2010 · -644 net new residents
Located in
Marion County, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Marion County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is West Virginia’s statewide median.
On the map
Where West Virginia’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Mountain State for 2026
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 2024)
We ranked all 25 West Virginia cities with a population over 5,000 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 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in West Virginia.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In West Virginia For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Town | 7,337 | 5,074 | 44.6% | 2,263 |
| 2 | Bridgeport | 9,252 | 7,978 | 16.0% | 1,274 |
| 3 | Martinsburg | 18,904 | 17,133 | 10.3% | 1,771 |
| 4 | Hurricane | 6,855 | 6,264 | 9.4% | 591 |
| 5 | Morgantown | 30,236 | 29,076 | 4.0% | 1,160 |
| 6 | Oak Hill | 7,937 | 7,659 | 3.6% | 278 |
| 7 | South Charleston | 13,457 | 13,390 | 0.5% | 67 |
| 8 | Vienna | 10,518 | 10,724 | -1.9% | -206 |
| 9 | Nitro | 6,853 | 7,083 | -3.2% | -230 |
| 10 | Fairmont | 18,221 | 18,865 | -3.4% | -644 |
| 11 | Beckley | 16,818 | 17,503 | -3.9% | -685 |
| 12 | Elkins | 6,811 | 7,144 | -4.7% | -333 |
| 13 | St. Albans | 10,522 | 11,071 | -5.0% | -549 |
| 14 | New Martinsville | 5,133 | 5,418 | -5.3% | -285 |
| 15 | Weirton | 18,647 | 19,753 | -5.6% | -1,106 |
| 16 | Clarksburg | 15,549 | 16,542 | -6.0% | -993 |
| 17 | Huntington | 45,787 | 49,228 | -7.0% | -3,441 |
| 18 | Dunbar | 7,254 | 7,866 | -7.8% | -612 |
| 19 | Charleston | 47,421 | 51,432 | -7.8% | -4,011 |
| 20 | Parkersburg | 29,240 | 31,742 | -7.9% | -2,502 |
| 21 | Wheeling | 26,350 | 28,861 | -8.7% | -2,511 |
| 22 | Buckhannon | 5,116 | 5,628 | -9.1% | -512 |
| 23 | Princeton | 5,736 | 6,370 | -10.0% | -634 |
| 24 | Bluefield | 9,387 | 10,538 | -10.9% | -1,151 |
| 25 | Moundsville | 7,869 | 9,403 | -16.3% | -1,534 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 25 West Virginia cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
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.
The fastest-growing cities in West Virginia are Charles Town, Bridgeport, Martinsburg, Hurricane, Morgantown, Oak Hill, South Charleston, Vienna, Nitro, and Fairmont.
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!
