Wayne County Demographics

A map of Wayne County's Population by Race

Wayne County, West Virginia has an estimated population of 38,164, a slight decrease from the 38,982 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 95.7% White, 2.2% Multiracial, 1.0% Black, 0.9% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American/Other, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wayne County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wayne 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 Wayne County, that probability was 8.8% in 2020 and 8.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wayne County is ranked the 14th most populous county in West Virginia, out of 55 counties. Wayne County was ranked the 14th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wayne County's White Population

36,534 residents of Wayne County, or 95.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wayne County is higher than in West Virginia overall, where 89.7% of the population is White. Wayne County ranks 11th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.8%. White residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 95.7%.

Wayne County is more White than neighboring Cabell County (88.8% White), Boyd County (92.2% White), and Martin County (84.7% White). Wayne County is less White than neighboring Lawrence County (96.6% White), and Lincoln County (96.3% White).

Wayne County's Black Population

366 residents of Wayne County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in West Virginia overall, where 3.1% of the population is Black. Wayne County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Black population has grown by an estimated 117.9%. Black residents' share of Wayne County's population has increased from 0.4% to 1.0%.

Wayne County is more Black than neighboring Lawrence County (0.1% Black), and Lincoln County (0% Black). Wayne County is less Black than neighboring Cabell County (4.1% Black), Boyd County (2.3% Black), and Martin County (7.8% Black).

Wayne County's Asian Population

17 residents of Wayne County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Asian. Wayne County ranks 36th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 79.5%. Asian residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Wayne County is less Asian than neighboring Lawrence County (1.3% Asian), Cabell County (1.2% Asian), Boyd County (0.4% Asian), and Lincoln County (0.5% Asian).

Wayne County's Hispanic Population

346 residents of Wayne County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 2.1% of the population is Hispanic. Wayne County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 8.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Wayne County is more Hispanic than neighboring Lawrence County (0.4% Hispanic), and Lincoln County (0.8% Hispanic). Wayne County is less Hispanic than neighboring Cabell County (1.8% Hispanic), Boyd County (1.8% Hispanic), and Martin County (1.7% Hispanic).

Wayne County's Native American/Other Population

80 residents of Wayne 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 Wayne County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Wayne County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 32.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Wayne County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lawrence County (0% Native American/Other), and Lincoln County (0.1% Native American/Other). Wayne County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Cabell County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Martin County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Wayne County's Multiracial Population

821 residents of Wayne County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Wayne County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 25.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Wayne County's population has decreased from 2.8% to 2.2%.

Wayne County is more Multiracial than neighboring Lawrence County (1.6% Multiracial). Wayne County is less Multiracial than neighboring Cabell County (3.9% Multiracial), Boyd County (3.2% Multiracial), and Martin County (5.1% 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.