Wyoming County, West Virginia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Wyoming County

U.S. county

Wyoming County Courthouse and Jail in Pineville

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia

West Virginia's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

West Virginia

Founded

January 26, 1850

Seat

Pineville

Largest city

Mullens

Area

• Total

502 sq mi (1,300 km²)

• Land

499 sq mi (1,290 km²)

• Water

2.4 sq mi (6 km²) 0.5%%

Population

(2020)

• Total

21,382

• Estimate

(2021)

21,051

• Density

42.59/sq mi (16.445/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional district

1st

Wyoming County is a special area in the state of West Virginia, USA. It's like a big neighborhood with its own local government. In 2020, about 21,382 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Pineville.

Wyoming County was created in 1850. It was formed from a part of Logan County. The name "Wyoming" comes from a word used by the Lenape people. It means "large plains," even though the county is quite mountainous!

Exploring Wyoming County's Geography
People of Wyoming County
- What the 2010 Census Showed
Communities in Wyoming County
Famous People from Wyoming County
Images for kids
See also

Exploring Wyoming County's Geography

Wyoming County covers a total area of about 502 square miles. Most of this is land, about 499 square miles. A small part, about 2.4 square miles, is water. This means about 0.5% of the county is water.

The county has many mountains and is drained by rivers. These include branches of the Sandy River and the Guyandotte River. The land here is mostly hilly and rugged.

How the County is Divided

In 1863, West Virginia tried to divide its counties into smaller areas. These were called townships. The idea was to help local governments work better. But this plan didn't work well in rural areas like Wyoming County.

So, in 1872, the townships became "magisterial districts." Wyoming County first had six of these districts:

Barkers Ridge
Center
Clear Fork
Huff Creek
Oceana
Slab Fork

Later, in 1881, a seventh district called Baileysville was added. It was made from parts of Clear Fork and Huff Creek. These seven districts stayed mostly the same for over 100 years.

In the 1990s, these seven districts were combined. They became three new, larger districts:

District 1
District 2
District 3

Main Roads in Wyoming County

Many important roads help people travel through Wyoming County. These roads connect different towns and areas. They are like the county's main arteries for transportation.

U.S. Route 52
West Virginia Route 10
West Virginia Route 16
West Virginia Route 54
West Virginia Route 80
West Virginia Route 85
West Virginia Route 97
West Virginia Route 99
West Virginia Route 121
West Virginia Route 971

Neighboring Counties

Wyoming County shares its borders with several other counties. Knowing its neighbors helps you understand its location better.

Boone County (to the north)
Raleigh County (to the northeast)
Mercer County (to the southeast)
McDowell County (to the south)
Mingo County (to the west)
Logan County (to the northwest)

People of Wyoming County

The number of people living in Wyoming County has changed over time. Here's a look at the population from past records:

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	1,645	—
1860	2,861	73.9%
1870	3,171	10.8%
1880	4,322	36.3%
1890	6,247	44.5%
1900	8,380	34.1%
1910	10,392	24.0%
1920	15,180	46.1%
1930	20,926	37.9%
1940	29,774	42.3%
1950	37,540	26.1%
1960	34,836	−7.2%
1970	30,095	−13.6%
1980	35,993	19.6%
1990	28,990	−19.5%
2000	25,708	−11.3%
2010	23,796	−7.4%
2020	21,382	−10.1%
2021 (est.)	21,051	−11.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

What the 2010 Census Showed

The 2010 United States census counted 23,796 people in Wyoming County. There were 9,687 households, which are groups of people living together. About 6,947 of these were families.

The county had about 47.6 people per square mile. There were also 10,958 housing units, like houses or apartments.

Most people in the county were white (98.2%). Small percentages were Black or African American (0.5%), Asian (0.1%), or American Indian (0.1%). About 1.0% of people were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.4% of the population.

Many people in the county have Irish, English, American, or German family backgrounds.

About 30.8% of households had children under 18 living with them. More than half (56.3%) were married couples. The average household had 2.45 people. Families, on average, had 2.90 people. The median age of people in the county was 42.6 years.

The median income for a household was $36,343. For a family, it was $46,221. This means half of the households earned more than this amount, and half earned less. The income per person in the county was $17,662.

About 17.3% of all people in the county lived below the poverty line. This included 24.4% of those under 18 years old. For people aged 65 or older, 8.9% were below the poverty line.

Communities in Wyoming County

Wyoming County has different types of communities. These include cities, towns, and smaller places.

City

Mullens

Towns

Oceana
Pineville (This is the county seat, where the main county offices are.)

Magisterial Districts

These are the areas the county is divided into for local government.

Current Districts

District 1
District 2
District 3

Historic Districts

Baileysville
Barkers Ridge
Center
Clear Fork
Huff
Oceana
Slab Fork

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities or towns. They are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes.