Putnam County Demographics

A map of Putnam County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	53,543	53,139	93.6%	92.5%
Multiracial	1,533	2,027	2.7%	3.5%
Hispanic	871	811	1.5%	1.4%
Black	542	646	0.9%	1.1%
Asian	458	577	0.8%	1.0%
Native American/Other	230	240	0.4%	0.4%

Putnam County, West Virginia has an estimated population of 57,177, a less than 1% change from the 57,440 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 93.6% White, 2.7% Multiracial, 1.5% Hispanic, 0.9% Black, 0.8% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Putnam County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Putnam has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably 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 Putnam County, that probability was 14.2% in 2020 and 12.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Putnam County is ranked the 10th most populous county in West Virginia, out of 55 counties. Putnam County was ranked the 10th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Putnam County's White Population

53,543 residents of Putnam County, or 93.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Putnam County is slightly higher than in West Virginia overall, where 89.7% of the population is White. Putnam County ranks 34th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Putnam County's population has increased from 92.5% to 93.6%.

Putnam County is more White than neighboring Cabell County (88.8% White), and Kanawha County (85.9% White). Putnam County is less White than neighboring Mason County (95.4% White), Lincoln County (96.3% White), and Jackson County (95.6% White).

Putnam County's Black Population

542 residents of Putnam County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Putnam County is slightly lower than in West Virginia overall, where 3.1% of the population is Black. Putnam County ranks 29th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Black population has declined by an estimated 16.1%. Black residents' share of Putnam County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Putnam County is more Black than neighboring Lincoln County (0% Black), and Jackson County (0.1% Black). Putnam County is less Black than neighboring Mason County (1% Black), Cabell County (4.1% Black), and Kanawha County (4.8% Black).

Putnam County's Asian Population

458 residents of Putnam County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Putnam County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Asian. Putnam County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 20.6%. Asian residents' share of Putnam County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Putnam County is more Asian than neighboring Mason County (0.4% Asian), Lincoln County (0.5% Asian), and Jackson County (0.4% Asian). Putnam County is less Asian than neighboring Cabell County (1.2% Asian), and Kanawha County (1.1% Asian).

Putnam County's Hispanic Population

871 residents of Putnam County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Putnam County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 2.1% of the population is Hispanic. Putnam County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Putnam County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.5%.

Putnam County is more Hispanic than neighboring Mason County (0.6% Hispanic), Lincoln County (0.8% Hispanic), and Jackson County (1.1% Hispanic). Putnam County is less Hispanic than neighboring Cabell County (1.8% Hispanic), and Kanawha County (1.6% Hispanic).

Putnam County's Native American/Other Population

230 residents of Putnam County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Putnam County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Putnam County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 4.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Putnam County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Putnam County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Mason County (0.3% Native American/Other), Cabell County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Lincoln County (0.1% Native American/Other). Putnam County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Jackson County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Putnam County's Multiracial Population

1,533 residents of Putnam County, or 2.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Putnam County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Putnam County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Putnam County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 24.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Putnam County's population has decreased from 3.5% to 2.7%.

Putnam County is more Multiracial than neighboring Mason County (2.3% Multiracial), Lincoln County (2.2% Multiracial), and Jackson County (2.3% Multiracial). Putnam County is less Multiracial than neighboring Cabell County (3.9% Multiracial), and Kanawha County (6.1% 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.