Racial diversity in West Virginia is a mixed bag.
There are parts of West Virginia where there’s a high level of diversity. But where will you find the most diverse places in West Virginia?
To answer that question, we went to the US Census data. Using Saturday Night Science, we measured the Gini coefficient for all 25 cities in West Virginia to rank them from most to least diverse.
#1 most diverse 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
#2 most diverse 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
#3 most diverse 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
#4 most diverse 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 diverse 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 diverse 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 diverse in West Virginia
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
#8 most diverse 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 diverse 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 diverse in West Virginia
Located in
Upshur County, West Virginia
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,639 at the 2010 census. Buckhannon is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival, held annually on the third week of May. The city is located 115 miles northeast from the capital city of Charleston and 140 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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 diversity lives in West Virginia
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in West Virginia for 2026
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census — and Saturday Night Science. 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:
- 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*
- Hispanic or Latino
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 25 cities.
We then calculated the HHI for each city by finding the racial breakdown of a city in percent terms, squaring them, and then adding the squares together. This left us with scores ranging from 4,591 (Martinsburg) to 9,419 (New Martinsville).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI, with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Martinsburg took the distinction of being the most diverse, while New Martinsville was the least diverse city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most diverse places in West Virginia.
The full plate
Race By City In West Virginia For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | HHI | % White | % Black | % Hispanic | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martinsburg | 18,904 | 4,591 | 64.7% | 15.2% | 10.6% | 0.3% |
| 2 | Charles Town | 7,337 | 4,769 | 66.0% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 1.8% |
| 3 | Beckley | 16,818 | 5,322 | 70.6% | 16.5% | 3.6% | 2.7% |
| 4 | Bluefield | 9,387 | 5,980 | 75.8% | 13.4% | 3.1% | 0.6% |
| 5 | Charleston | 47,421 | 6,019 | 76.4% | 9.5% | 2.2% | 2.6% |
| 6 | Dunbar | 7,254 | 6,070 | 77.0% | 7.6% | 3.9% | 0.8% |
| 7 | Morgantown | 30,236 | 6,956 | 83.0% | 4.5% | 4.3% | 3.7% |
| 8 | Huntington | 45,787 | 7,068 | 83.6% | 6.5% | 2.4% | 1.2% |
| 9 | Fairmont | 18,221 | 7,119 | 83.9% | 6.0% | 2.4% | 1.0% |
| 10 | Buckhannon | 5,116 | 7,461 | 86.1% | 4.2% | 2.5% | 1.7% |
| 11 | South Charleston | 13,457 | 7,516 | 86.4% | 5.1% | 2.0% | 1.5% |
| 12 | Elkins | 6,811 | 7,657 | 87.1% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 0.0% |
| 13 | Nitro | 6,853 | 7,744 | 87.3% | 1.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 14 | St. Albans | 10,522 | 7,756 | 87.8% | 4.2% | 2.2% | 0.0% |
| 15 | Princeton | 5,736 | 7,842 | 88.1% | 2.6% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 16 | Bridgeport | 9,252 | 7,875 | 88.5% | 1.9% | 4.3% | 3.8% |
| 17 | Wheeling | 26,350 | 7,932 | 88.8% | 4.5% | 1.4% | 0.4% |
| 18 | Clarksburg | 15,549 | 7,988 | 89.2% | 3.6% | 2.7% | 0.5% |
| 19 | Weirton | 18,647 | 8,000 | 89.3% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 1.3% |
| 20 | Oak Hill | 7,937 | 8,211 | 90.4% | 6.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 21 | Vienna | 10,518 | 8,305 | 91.0% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| 22 | Parkersburg | 29,240 | 8,380 | 91.4% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 0.6% |
| 23 | Moundsville | 7,869 | 8,505 | 92.1% | 0.2% | 2.4% | 0.0% |
| 24 | Hurricane | 6,855 | 8,662 | 93.0% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 1.2% |
| 25 | New Martinsville | 5,133 | 9,419 | 97.0% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 25 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Diversity Across West Virginia
If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across West Virginia, this is an accurate list.
The most diverse cities in West Virginia are Martinsburg, Charles Town, Beckley, Bluefield, Charleston, Dunbar, Morgantown, Huntington, Fairmont, and Buckhannon. Not sold on West Virginia? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
