Lewis County Demographics

A map of Lewis County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	15,063	16,088	90.0%	94.5%
Multiracial	1,205	581	7.2%	3.4%
Hispanic	232	191	1.4%	1.1%
Black	184	66	1.1%	0.4%
Native American/Other	35	49	0.2%	0.3%
Asian	21	58	0.1%	0.3%

Lewis County, West Virginia has an estimated population of 16,740, a slight decrease from the 17,033 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.0% White, 7.2% Multiracial, 1.4% Hispanic, 1.1% Black, 0.2% Native American/Other, and 0.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lewis County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lewis has become considerably more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is slightly less diverse than West Virginia overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Lewis County, that probability was 10.7% in 2020 and 18.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lewis County is ranked the 34th most populous county in West Virginia, out of 55 counties. Lewis County was ranked the 34th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lewis County's White Population

15,063 residents of Lewis County, or 90.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lewis County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 89.7% of the population is White. Lewis County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lewis County's White population has declined by an estimated 6.4%. White residents' share of Lewis County's population has decreased from 94.5% to 90.0%.

Lewis County is more White than neighboring Gilmer County (78.5% White), and Braxton County (86.5% White). Lewis County is less White than neighboring Upshur County (91.8% White), Harrison County (91.8% White), and Doddridge County (91.7% White).

Lewis County's Black Population

184 residents of Lewis County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lewis County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 3.1% of the population is Black. Lewis County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lewis County's Black population has grown by an estimated 178.8%. Black residents' share of Lewis County's population has increased from 0.4% to 1.1%.

Lewis County is more Black than neighboring Braxton County (0.6% Black). Lewis County is less Black than neighboring Upshur County (1.2% Black), Harrison County (1.5% Black), Doddridge County (2.5% Black), and Gilmer County (13.6% Black).

Lewis County's Asian Population

21 residents of Lewis County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lewis County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Asian. Lewis County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lewis County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 63.8%. Asian residents' share of Lewis County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Lewis County is more Asian than neighboring Doddridge County (0% Asian). Lewis County is less Asian than neighboring Upshur County (0.4% Asian), Harrison County (0.8% Asian), and Gilmer County (0.2% Asian).

Lewis County's Hispanic Population

232 residents of Lewis County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lewis County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 2.1% of the population is Hispanic. Lewis County ranks 29th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lewis County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 21.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Lewis County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.4%.

Lewis County is more Hispanic than neighboring Braxton County (0.6% Hispanic). Lewis County is less Hispanic than neighboring Upshur County (1.5% Hispanic), Harrison County (2.3% Hispanic), and Gilmer County (4.1% Hispanic).

Lewis County's Native American/Other Population

35 residents of Lewis County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lewis County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Lewis County ranks 40th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lewis County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 28.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lewis County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Lewis County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Harrison County (0.1% Native American/Other). Lewis County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Upshur County (0.9% Native American/Other), Doddridge County (0.8% Native American/Other), and Gilmer County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Lewis County's Multiracial Population

1,205 residents of Lewis County, or 7.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lewis County is slightly higher than in West Virginia overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Lewis County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lewis County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 107.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Lewis County's population has increased from 3.4% to 7.2%.

Lewis County is more Multiracial than neighboring Upshur County (4.3% Multiracial), Harrison County (3.5% Multiracial), Doddridge County (3.7% Multiracial), and Gilmer County (2.8% Multiracial). Lewis County is less Multiracial than neighboring Braxton County (12.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.