Now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of West Virginia would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Mountain State?
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to measure how each city in West Virginia with populations greater than 5,000 voted in past elections. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Republican were named the most conservative cities in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 most conservative places in West Virginia for 2024
If you’re wondering, Morgantown is the most liberal city in West Virginia of all those we measured.
And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most conservative cities in West Virginia.
Additional reading about West Virginia and the most conservative places in the country:
The 10 Most Conservative Places In West Virginia For 2024
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Percent Republican: 76.5%
More on Bluefield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 76.5%
More on Princeton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 76.0%
More on Buckhannon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 74.9%
More on New Martinsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 74.5%
More on Beckley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 74.3%
More on Huntington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 74.1%
More on Moundsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 74.1%
More on Wheeling: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 71.1%
More on Elkins: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Percent Republican: 71.1%
More on Weirton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How we determined the most conservative cities in West Virginia for 2024
To find the most conservative places in West Virginia, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most conservatives.
We started by making a list of every city in West Virginia over 5,000 people based on the 2018-2022 American Community Survey. That left us with 26 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places rock the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For The Republican President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Republicans, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 26 for each criterion, where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Bluefield, is “The Most Conservative City in West Virginia For 2024”. The most liberal place in West Virginia was Morgantown.
We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the most conservative places to live in West Virginia.
Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in West Virginia
Well, there you have it, the places in West Virginia that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Bluefield ranking as the most conservative in the entire state.
The most conservative cities in West Virginia are Bluefield, Princeton, Buckhannon, New Martinsville, Beckley, Huntington, Moundsville, Wheeling, Elkins, and Weirton.
If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in West Virginia:
- Morgantown
- Allenspark
- Charles Town
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In West Virginia
- Cheapest Places To Live In West Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia
- Richest Cities In West Virginia
- Safest Places In West Virginia
- Worst Places To Live In West Virginia
- Most Expensive Places To Live In West Virginia
Most Conservative Places In West Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | % Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bluefield, WV | 9,619 | 76.5% |
| 2 | Princeton, WV | 5,833 | 76.5% |
| 3 | Buckhannon, WV | 5,201 | 76.0% |
| 4 | New Martinsville, WV | 5,210 | 74.9% |
| 5 | Beckley, WV | 17,132 | 74.5% |
| 6 | Huntington, WV | 46,637 | 74.3% |
| 7 | Moundsville, WV | 8,056 | 74.1% |
| 8 | Wheeling, WV | 26,900 | 74.1% |
| 9 | Elkins, WV | 6,935 | 71.1% |
| 10 | Weirton, WV | 18,971 | 71.1% |
| 11 | Hurricane, WV | 6,908 | 70.3% |
| 12 | Nitro, WV | 6,540 | 70.3% |
| 13 | Vienna, WV | 10,642 | 70.2% |
| 14 | Parkersburg, WV | 29,685 | 70.2% |
| 15 | Oak Hill, WV | 8,157 | 68.7% |
| 16 | Clarksburg, WV | 15,977 | 67.9% |
| 17 | Bridgeport, WV | 9,255 | 67.9% |
| 18 | Martinsburg, WV | 18,678 | 64.6% |
| 19 | Fairmont, WV | 18,402 | 63.2% |
| 20 | Dunbar, WV | 7,418 | 56.4% |
| 21 | St. Albans, WV | 10,753 | 56.4% |
| 22 | Charleston, WV | 48,415 | 56.4% |
| 23 | South Charleston, WV | 13,527 | 56.4% |
| 24 | Charles Town, WV | 6,584 | 54.3% |
| 25 | Allenspark , WV | 5,497 | 54.3% |
| 26 | Morgantown, WV | 30,220 | 49.4% |
