West Virginia’s coalfields: A warning the rest of Appalachia cannot afford to ignore

By: Jim Branscome

Outlets: West Virginia Watch

Published: April 10, 2026

Words: 1,956

Last Updated: 6 hours, 8 minutes ago

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McDowell County, West Virginia, had nearly 100,000 residents in 1950. Today it has fewer than 17,000.

That number — 16,878, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s newly released Vintage 2025 population estimates — represents a loss of more than 82% of the county’s mid-century population. And the decline is not slowing. McDowell lost 2,245 people between the 2020 census and July 2025, a five-year rate of 11.7%. At that pace, the county will fall below …

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