County outline
Where Mingo County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.8% of Mingo County’s measured area and water for 0.2%. Its combined area converts to 1,098 square kilometers or approximately 271,331 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 423.121 | 1,095.878 | 270,797.4 |
| Water | 0.833 | 2.157 | 533.1 |
| Total | 423.954 | 1,098.036 | 271,330.6 |
How Mingo County compares
By original Census land area, Mingo County ranks #26 of 55 in West Virginia and #2395 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.01 times the West Virginia county-equivalent median of 419 square miles. It accounts for 1.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete West Virginia ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Mingo County
The Census Bureau estimates that 21,455 people lived in Mingo County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,809 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #27 of 55 in West Virginia. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 23,572, the population has declined by 2,117 (−9%), compared with −1.5% for West Virginia as a whole.
With 423.1 square miles of land, that is 51 people per square mile (20 per km²), placing Mingo County #1,534 nationally for density and #27 in West Virginia. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the West Virginia median is 45. Put another way, there are about 13 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 23,489 | 23,062 | 22,433 | 21,996 | 21,680 | 21,455 |
| Change | — | −427 | −629 | −437 | −316 | −225 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Mingo County
5 incorporated places lie at least partly in Mingo County. Together they are home to 4,091 people (19.1%); the other 17,364 (80.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Williamson city, with 2,753 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamson cityCounty seat | 2,753 | −10.7% | 3.275 |
| Delbarton town | 381 | −9.3% | 1.987 |
| Matewan town | 370 | −10% | 0.553 |
| Gilbert town | 301 | −8.5% | 0.995 |
| Kermit town | 286 | −9.5% | 0.392 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Mingo County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Mingo County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Mingo County; 18 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
2484624851256082562125650256512566125666256672567025671256722567425676256782568525688256902569225696
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Mingo County
Mingo County shares a land border with 8 county equivalents, including 3 in Kentucky and Virginia. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Pike County (786.2 mi²) and the smallest is Martin County (229.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Mingo County forms a block of 4,370.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 9.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Mingo | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike CountyKentucky | 786.2 | 1.9× larger | Compare |
| McDowell County | 533.5 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Wayne County | 506 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Buchanan CountyVirginia | 502.9 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Wyoming County | 499.5 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Logan County | 452.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Lincoln County | 437.1 | about the same | Compare |
| Martin CountyKentucky | 229.6 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Mingo County compared with U.S. states?
Mingo County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.4 times as much. West Virginia’s county land could hold about 57 areas the size of Mingo County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 20.6 miles (33.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Mingo County?
Mingo County has more land than 827 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Mingo County at #2,472 nationally by total area, 77 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Mingo County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2394 | Waseca County, Minnesota | 423.4 | Compare |
| #2395 | Mingo County, West Virginia | 423.1 | This county |
| #2396 | Ashland County, Ohio | 423 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 37.721161, -82.158989. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,095,877,996 m²; AWATER: 2,156,358 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Mingo County?
Mingo County, West Virginia has 423.1 square miles (1,095.9 km²) of land and 0.833 square miles of water, for a total area of 424 square miles. It ranks #2395 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Mingo County the largest county in West Virginia?
No. Mingo County ranks #26 of 55 in West Virginia by land area. The largest is Randolph County, with 1,039.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Mingo County?
Mingo County shares a land border with Logan County, Pike County, Kentucky, Martin County, Kentucky, Wayne County, Wyoming County, Lincoln County, McDowell County, and Buchanan County, Virginia.
What is the population of Mingo County?
The Census Bureau estimates Mingo County had 21,455 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,809 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 51 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Mingo County?
The county seat of Mingo County is Williamson.
What cities and towns are in Mingo County?
Mingo County has 5 incorporated places. The most populous are Williamson city, Delbarton town, Matewan town, Gilbert town, and Kermit town; 17,364 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Mingo County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Mingo County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Mingo County?
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Mingo County, and 18 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Mingo County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Mingo County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 270,797 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 271,331 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.