Hancock County, West Virginia
A county in West Virginia, ranked 19 of 55 by population.
CountyFIPS 54029
- Population
- 27,729
- -1,311 (-4.5%) since 2020
- Land area
- 82.6
- square miles. A further 6.1% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 336
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- New Cumberland
- Seat of county government.
- Established
- 1848
- 177 years ago
- Largest city
- Weirton city
- Population 14,487 for the whole place, which extends beyond this county.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of Hancock County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where Hancock County ranks
Position among the 55 counties of West Virginia, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In West Virginia | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,729 | 19th of 55 | 1,519th of 3,144 |
| Land area | 82.6 sq mi | 55th of 55 | 3,093rd of 3,144 |
| Population density | 336 per sq mi | 3rd of 55 | 395th of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $61,466 | 13th of 55 | 1,936th of 3,143 |
Full data for Hancock County
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,729 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 29,040 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 29,096 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 82.6 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 5.4 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 88.0 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 336 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $61,466 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $130,800 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 47.0 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 12,824 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 14,194 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- -214
- 246 births, 460 deaths
- Net migration
- -35
- More people moved out than moved in.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 5 areas bordering Hancock County
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | Ohio | 16 mi | 63,597 |
| Beaver County | Pennsylvania | 11 mi | 166,032 |
| Columbiana County | Ohio | 10 mi | 99,377 |
| Brooke County | West Virginia | 5.9 mi | 21,142 |
| Washington County | Pennsylvania | 5.4 mi | 210,802 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
All 55 counties of West Virginia
Open the interactive West Virginia county map, or jump straight to any of them.
- Barbour County
- Berkeley County
- Boone County
- Braxton County
- Brooke County
- Cabell County
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Doddridge County
- Fayette County
- Gilmer County
- Grant County
- Greenbrier County
- Hampshire County
- Hancock County
- Hardy County
- Harrison County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Kanawha County
- Lewis County
- Lincoln County
- Logan County
- Marion County
- Marshall County
- Mason County
- McDowell County
- Mercer County
- Mineral County
- Mingo County
- Monongalia County
- Monroe County
- Morgan County
- Nicholas County
- Ohio County
- Pendleton County
- Pleasants County
- Pocahontas County
- Preston County
- Putnam County
- Raleigh County
- Randolph County
- Ritchie County
- Roane County
- Summers County
- Taylor County
- Tucker County
- Tyler County
- Upshur County
- Wayne County
- Webster County
- Wetzel County
- Wirt County
- Wood County
- Wyoming County
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.