Most African American cities in West Virginia research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze West Virginia’s most recent Census data to determine the cities with the largest Black population, based on the percentage of Black residents.
The city with the largest African American population in West Virginia is Beckley (16.5% Black); the least is Moundsville (0.2%). Statewide, West Virginia is 3.1% Black — the 38th blackest state in the country.
Roughly 42 million people identifying as Black or African American live in the United States, about 12% of the total population. In West Virginia, the Black population is 54,933, at 3.1% of the state total.
We broke down the most recent Census data to determine the cities in West Virginia with the largest African American population in 2026.
#1 most African American in West Virginia
Located in
Raleigh County, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. Beckley was named in honor of John James Beckley, who was the first Clerk of the House of Representatives and the first Librarian of Congress. It was founded by his son Alfred Beckley. The current mayor is Rob Rappold
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 most African American in West Virginia
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
#3 most African American in West Virginia
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
#4 most African American in West Virginia
Located in
Mercer County, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area, which has a population of 107,342.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 most African American in West Virginia
Located in
Kanawha County, West Virginia
Charleston is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of West Virginia, and the county seat of Kanawha County. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers. As of the 2013 Census Estimate, it had a population of 50,821, while its metropolitan area had 224,743. It is a center of government, commerce, and industry.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 most African American in West Virginia
Located in
Kanawha County, West Virginia
Dunbar is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, along the Kanawha River. The population was 7,907 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 most African American in West Virginia
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
#8 most African American in West Virginia
Located in
Wayne County, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell County and Wayne County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and largest city in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A historic and bustling city of commerce and heavy industry, Huntington has long-flourished due to its ideal location on the Ohio River at the mouth of the Guyandotte River. It is home to the Port of Huntington Tri-State, the busiest inland port in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most African American in West Virginia
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
#10 most African American in West Virginia
Located in
Kanawha County, West Virginia
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 Black communities live
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In West Virginia With The Largest Black Population For 2026
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across West Virginia.
That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest was the number of people who identified as Black or African American.
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people in West Virginia. That left us with 25 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 16.5% to 0.2%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Beckley took the distinction of being the most Black, while Moundsville was the least African American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the cities in West Virginia with the largest African American population.
The full plate
African American Population By City In West Virginia
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | African American Population | % African American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beckley | 16,818 | 2,767 | 16.5% |
| 2 | Martinsburg | 18,904 | 2,865 | 15.2% |
| 3 | Charles Town | 7,337 | 1,017 | 13.9% |
| 4 | Bluefield | 9,387 | 1,260 | 13.4% |
| 5 | Charleston | 47,421 | 4,520 | 9.5% |
| 6 | Dunbar | 7,254 | 553 | 7.6% |
| 7 | Oak Hill | 7,937 | 516 | 6.5% |
| 8 | Huntington | 45,787 | 2,976 | 6.5% |
| 9 | Fairmont | 18,221 | 1,099 | 6.0% |
| 10 | South Charleston | 13,457 | 682 | 5.1% |
| 11 | Wheeling | 26,350 | 1,180 | 4.5% |
| 12 | Morgantown | 30,236 | 1,349 | 4.5% |
| 13 | St. Albans | 10,522 | 447 | 4.2% |
| 14 | Buckhannon | 5,116 | 217 | 4.2% |
| 15 | Clarksburg | 15,549 | 560 | 3.6% |
| 16 | Elkins | 6,811 | 187 | 2.7% |
| 17 | Weirton | 18,647 | 492 | 2.6% |
| 18 | Princeton | 5,736 | 147 | 2.6% |
| 19 | Bridgeport | 9,252 | 178 | 1.9% |
| 20 | Vienna | 10,518 | 190 | 1.8% |
| 21 | Parkersburg | 29,240 | 460 | 1.6% |
| 22 | Nitro | 6,853 | 104 | 1.5% |
| 23 | Hurricane | 6,855 | 45 | 0.7% |
| 24 | New Martinsville | 5,133 | 26 | 0.5% |
| 25 | Moundsville | 7,869 | 15 | 0.2% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 25 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Black Populations Across West Virginia
If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across West Virginia according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The blackest cities in West Virginia are Beckley, Martinsburg, Charles Town, Bluefield, Charleston, Dunbar, Oak Hill, Huntington, Fairmont, and South Charleston. Not sold on West Virginia? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
