By population, Jefferson County (red) is less than half the size of Berkley County.
Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties are often considered as a group in the context of West Virginia regional planning and politics. While all three stand out from the rest of the state because of their growing populations, the three counties are on very different growth paths.
Jefferson Population Closer to Culpepper Than Berkeley
Looking at the total population (chart above), Berkeley is closer in size to Frederick County, VA (Winchester), Washington County MD (Hagerstown), and Franklin County, PA (Chambersburg). The population of Jefferson is more comparable to Culpepper, Fauquier and Warren counties in VA. Morgan is closer in size to Clarke, VA. Lining up all 55 counties in West Virginia, Berkeley has the 2nd largest population (after Kanawha), Jefferson’s population puts it 8th on the list, and Morgan’s population ranks 32nd.
Population Growth In The Eastern Panhandle
Jefferson has definitely grown at a good clip since 2010, but Berkeley’s 30% growth is 3 times Jefferson’s rate over that 15 year period and Morgan county’s population has remained almost flat over the same period according to US Census data (chart below).
Between 2020 and 2024, Jefferson’s population has grown 2.6% according to Census estimates. Berkeley continues to outpace Jefferson with 11.6% population growth over the same period. Morgan’s population growth of 4.6% since 2020 has outpaced Jefferson. Counting actual people, the comparison is 14,211 new residents in Berkeley, 1,488 in Jefferson, and 717 in Morgan between the end of 2020 and the end of 2024.
>>>More coverage of growth in Jefferson County at ObserverWV.com…
Published in the Observer Weekly (2025 Dec 18).
By Steve Pearson