Ritchie County Demographics

A map of Ritchie County's Population by Race

Ritchie County, West Virginia has an estimated population of 8,286, a slight decrease from the 8,444 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 96.5% White, 1.4% Multiracial, 1.3% Asian, 0.7% Hispanic, 0.1% Black, and 0.0% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Ritchie County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Ritchie has become slightly 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 Ritchie County, that probability was 7.6% in 2020 and 6.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Ritchie County is ranked the 44th most populous county in West Virginia, out of 55 counties. Ritchie County was ranked the 44th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Ritchie County's White Population

7,992 residents of Ritchie County, or 96.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Ritchie County is higher than in West Virginia overall, where 89.7% of the population is White. Ritchie County ranks 4th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ritchie County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.5%. White residents' share of Ritchie County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 96.5%.

Ritchie County is more White than neighboring Pleasants County (94.4% White), Gilmer County (78.5% White), Tyler County (93.9% White), Calhoun County (95.6% White), and Wirt County (96.4% White).

Ritchie County's Black Population

9 residents of Ritchie County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Ritchie County is slightly lower than in West Virginia overall, where 3.1% of the population is Black. Ritchie County ranks 51st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ritchie County's Black population has declined by an estimated 43.8%. Black residents' share of Ritchie County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Ritchie County is more Black than neighboring Wirt County (0% Black). Ritchie County is less Black than neighboring Pleasants County (0.4% Black), Gilmer County (13.6% Black), and Tyler County (0.9% Black).

Ritchie County's Asian Population

111 residents of Ritchie County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Ritchie County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Asian. Ritchie County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ritchie County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 484.2%. Asian residents' share of Ritchie County's population has increased from 0.2% to 1.3%.

Ritchie County is more Asian than neighboring Pleasants County (0% Asian), Gilmer County (0.2% Asian), Tyler County (0% Asian), Calhoun County (0% Asian), and Wirt County (0.2% Asian).

Ritchie County's Hispanic Population

59 residents of Ritchie County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Ritchie County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 2.1% of the population is Hispanic. Ritchie County ranks 35th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ritchie County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 26.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Ritchie County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Ritchie County is more Hispanic than neighboring Calhoun County (0.6% Hispanic), and Wirt County (0% Hispanic). Ritchie County is less Hispanic than neighboring Pleasants County (2.1% Hispanic), Gilmer County (4.1% Hispanic), and Tyler County (1.1% Hispanic).

Ritchie County's Native American/Other Population

1 residents of Ritchie County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Ritchie County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Ritchie County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ritchie County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 95.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Ritchie County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Ritchie County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Pleasants County (0.3% Native American/Other), Gilmer County (0.8% Native American/Other), Tyler County (0.1% Native American/Other), Calhoun County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Wirt County (0.2% Native American/Other).

Ritchie County's Multiracial Population

114 residents of Ritchie County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Ritchie County is slightly lower than in West Virginia overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Ritchie County ranks 55th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ritchie County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 40.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Ritchie County's population has decreased from 2.3% to 1.4%.

Ritchie County is less Multiracial than neighboring Pleasants County (2.8% Multiracial), Gilmer County (2.8% Multiracial), Tyler County (4.1% Multiracial), Calhoun County (2.9% Multiracial), and Wirt County (3.2% 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.