West Virginia has two congressional districts. The 1st District covers the southern half of the state and is represented by Republican Carol Miller. The 2nd District covers the northern half and is represented by Republican Riley Moore. The current map took effect with the 2022 elections, after the state dropped from three seats to two following the 2020 Census.1West Virginia Legislature. District Maps – Section: Congressional Districts
The 1st Congressional District
The 1st District takes in the southern half of West Virginia, including the state’s two largest cities: Charleston, the capital, in Kanawha County, and Huntington in Cabell County. It extends through the historic coalfield counties in the southwestern corner and the mountain communities running east to the Virginia border. Carol Miller, a Republican first elected in 2018, holds the seat.
The district contains 28 counties: Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Putnam, Raleigh, Roane, Summers, Wayne, Webster, Wirt, and Wyoming.2West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Senate Bill 3033
Much of this territory reflects the Appalachian coal economy that historically defined southern West Virginia. McDowell, Mingo, Logan, and Boone counties have lost significant population as the coal industry contracted. The Kanawha Valley and Cabell County serve as regional hubs for healthcare, state government, and higher education.
The 2nd Congressional District
The 2nd District stretches across the northern part of the state, from the Northern Panhandle along the Ohio River east to the Eastern Panhandle near the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Riley Moore, a Republican, took office in January 2025.
The district contains 27 counties: Barbour, Berkeley, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jefferson, Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Morgan, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wetzel, and Wood.2West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Senate Bill 3033
The 2nd District connects some of the state’s most economically distinct regions. The Eastern Panhandle, made up of Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties, has been West Virginia’s main growth area, driven by commuters to the D.C. metro. Monongalia County anchors the north-central portion as home to West Virginia University and the WVU Health System, the state’s largest employer. The Northern Panhandle counties of Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, and Marshall have deep industrial roots, and Wood County, home to Parkersburg, serves as a commercial center along the Ohio River.
Why Only Two Districts
West Virginia had three U.S. House seats for decades. After the 2020 Census, federal apportionment, the process that divides the 435 House seats among the states based on population, cut the state to two.3U.S. Census Bureau. About Congressional Apportionment The state’s population fell from 1,852,994 in 2010 to 1,793,716 in 2020, one of only three states to lose residents over the decade.4U.S. Census Bureau. West Virginia 2020 Census
The West Virginia Legislature then drew the new two-district map through Senate Bill 3033, enacted in October 2021 and signed by Governor Jim Justice. With roughly 1,793,716 residents split between two districts, the ideal population per district was about 896,858, and the enacted map came within about 1,582 people of that balance, a deviation of 0.18%. No legal challenges were filed against the map.
What Could Change After the 2030 Census
The current district lines are set until the next census. West Virginia’s population has continued to decline since 2020. Between July 2024 and July 2025, the state lost an estimated 1,255 residents, and it ranked near the bottom nationally in international migration gains. Whether that costs another seat depends not just on West Virginia’s numbers but on how every other state grows in competition for the same 435 seats.
If the state loses a second seat, it would drop to a single at-large district covering the whole state. That would not affect West Virginia’s two U.S. Senate seats, which every state keeps regardless of population. The 2030 Census results are expected in early 2031, and any new map would take effect for the 2032 elections.