The 10 West Virginia Cities With The Largest Native American Population For 2026

The most Native American places in West Virginia are Charles Town and Buckhannon for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

Most Native American places in West Virginia research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the West Virginia cities with the highest percentage of Native American residents for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 vintage, which breaks down race by origin.

The city with the highest percentage of Native Americans is Charles Town. 0.20% of people in Charles Town are Native Americans.

The city with the lowest percentage of Native Americans is Weirton. 0.00% of people in Weirton are Native American.

The city with the most Native Americans is Parkersburg. 38 people in Parkersburg are Native American.

The city with the fewest Native Americans is Weirton. 0 people in Weirton are Native American.

The United States has 1,698,432 Native Americans and is 0.51% Native American.

Which city in West Virginia had the largest Native American population? The place with the largest Native American population in West Virginia for 2026 is Charles Town. 0.20% of Charles Town identify as Native American.

1

No. 1 most Native American city in West Virginia

Charles Town, WV

7,337 peopleSnackAbility 8/10up 18
8/10
Charles Town, WV
Source: Wikipedia User Acroterion | CC BY-SA 3.0
0.2% Native American · 15 Native American residents
Located in Jefferson County, 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.

2

No. 2 most Native American city in West Virginia

Buckhannon, WV

5,116 peopleSnackAbility 6/10up 1
6/10
Buckhannon, WV
Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
0.2% Native American · 10 Native American residents
Map of Buckhannon within 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.

3

No. 3 most Native American city in West Virginia

Parkersburg, WV

29,240 peopleSnackAbility 4/10up 2
4/10
Parkersburg, WV
Source: Public domain
0.1% Native American · 38 Native American residents
Map of Parkersburg within West Virginia Located in Wood County, West Virginia

Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, United States. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state’s third-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metropolitan area. The population was 31,492 at the 2010 census. Its peak of population was more than 44,000 in 1960. The city is about 14 miles south of Marietta, Ohio.

4

No. 4 most Native American city in West Virginia

Wheeling, WV

26,350 peopleSnackAbility 5/10
5/10
Wheeling, WV
Source: Wikipedia User Brandon W. Holmes | CC BY-SA 3.0
0.1% Native American · 27 Native American residents
Map of Wheeling within West Virginia Located in Ohio County, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Wheeling was originally a settlement in the British colony of Virginia and later an important city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Wheeling was the first state capital of West Virginia. Due to its location along major transportation routes, including the Ohio River, National Road, and the B&O Railroad, Wheeling became a manufacturing center in the late nineteenth century. After experiencing the closing of factories and substantial population loss following World War II, Wheeling’s major industries now include healthcare, education, law and legal services, entertainment and tourism, and energy.

5

No. 5 most Native American city in West Virginia

St. Albans, WV

10,522 peopleSnackAbility 7/10up 6
7/10
St. Albans, WV
Source: Wikipedia User Acroterion | CC BY-SA 3.0
0.1% Native American · 10 Native American residents
Map of St. Albans within West Virginia Located in Kanawha County, West Virginia

St. Albans is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers. The population was 11,044 at the 2010 census.

6

No. 6 most Native American city in West Virginia

Fairmont, WV

18,221 peopleSnackAbility 6/10up 1
6/10
Fairmont, WV
Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
0.1% Native American · 11 Native American residents
Map of Fairmont within 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.

7

No. 7 most Native American city in West Virginia

South Charleston, WV

13,457 peopleSnackAbility 6/10down 6
6/10
South Charleston, WV
Source: Public domain
0.1% Native American · 7 Native American residents
Map of South Charleston within West Virginia Located in Kanawha County, West Virginia
8

No. 8 most Native American city in West Virginia

Clarksburg, WV

15,549 peopleSnackAbility 5/10up 2
5/10
Clarksburg, WV
Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
0.0% Native American · 6 Native American residents
Map of Clarksburg within West Virginia Located in Harrison County, West Virginia

Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. The population of the city was 16,578 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 94,221 in 2014. Clarksburg was named National Small City of the Year in 2011 by the National League of Cities.

9

No. 9 most Native American city in West Virginia

Martinsburg, WV

18,904 peopleSnackAbility 5/10down 3
5/10
Martinsburg, WV
Source: Wikipedia User Howcheng | Attribution
0.0% Native American · 7 Native American residents
Map of Martinsburg within 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.

10

No. 10 most Native American city in West Virginia

Princeton, WV

5,736 peopleSnackAbility 5/10up 9
5/10
Princeton, WV
Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
0.0% Native American · 2 Native American residents
Map of Princeton within West Virginia Located in Mercer County, West Virginia

Princeton, often referred to as the “Jewel of the South,” is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 6,432 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342. The town hosts the Princeton Rays baseball club of the Appalachian League.

The receipts

Compare the top ten

Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is West Virginia’s statewide median.

City % Native American vs WV
1 Charles Town 0.0020444323292899006
2 Buckhannon 0.001954652071931196
3 Parkersburg 0.0012995896032831737
4 Wheeling 0.0010246679316888046
5 St. Albans 0.0009503896597605018
6 Fairmont 0.0006036990285933812
7 South Charleston 0.0005201753734116073
8 Clarksburg 0.00038587690526721975
9 Martinsburg 0.0003702920016927634
10 Princeton 0.0003486750348675035
City Native American residents vs WV
1 Charles Town 15
2 Buckhannon 10
3 Parkersburg 38
4 Wheeling 27
5 St. Albans 10
6 Fairmont 11
8 Clarksburg 6
9 Martinsburg 7
10 Princeton 2
City Population vs WV
1 Charles Town 7,337
2 Buckhannon 5,116
3 Parkersburg 29,240
4 Wheeling 26,350
5 St. Albans 10,522
6 Fairmont 18,221
7 South Charleston 13,457
8 Clarksburg 15,549
9 Martinsburg 18,904
10 Princeton 5,736

On the map

Where West Virginia’s Native American population is concentrated

Saturday Night Science

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In West Virginia With The Largest Native American 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.

We used Saturday Night Science to analyze the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 American Community Survey data.

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 here was the number of people identifying as American Indian and Alaska Native alone.

We limited our analysis to places with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 25 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are American Indian and Alaska Native. The percentages ranked from 0.20 to 0.00.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the American Indian and Alaska Native population, with a higher score being more American Indian and Alaska Native than a lower score. Charles Town took the distinction of being the most American Indian and Alaska Native, while Weirton was the least Native American city.

We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the cities in West Virginia with the largest Native American population.

The full plate

Most Native American Places In West Virginia

Click any column to sort. Search by city name.

RankCityPopulationNative American Population% Native American
1Charles Town7,337150.2%
2Buckhannon5,116100.2%
3Parkersburg29,240380.1%
4Wheeling26,350270.1%
5St. Albans10,522100.1%
6Fairmont18,221110.1%
7South Charleston13,45770.1%
8Clarksburg15,54960.0%
9Martinsburg18,90470.0%
10Princeton5,73620.0%
11Morgantown30,23690.0%
12Huntington45,787110.0%
13Charleston47,42190.0%
14Beckley16,81830.0%
20Elkins6,81100.0%
20Hurricane6,85500.0%
20Bluefield9,38700.0%
20Moundsville7,86900.0%
20New Martinsville5,13300.0%
20Nitro6,85300.0%
20Oak Hill7,93700.0%
20Dunbar7,25400.0%
20Bridgeport9,25200.0%
20Vienna10,51800.0%
20Weirton18,64700.0%

Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, table B03002. 25 West Virginia cities with more than 5,000 residents.

Summary

Summary: Native American Populations Across West Virginia

If you’re looking for a breakdown of Native American populations across West Virginia according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

The most Native American cities in West Virginia are Charles Town, Buckhannon, Parkersburg, Wheeling, St. Albans, Fairmont, South Charleston, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, and Princeton.

Chris Kolmar
About the author

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.

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