McDowell County, West Virginia

McDowell County
County
McDowell County Courthouse in Welch
Nickname:  Free State of McDowell
Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°22′N 81°39′W / 37.37°N 81.65°W / 37.37; -81.65
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Founded	February 28, 1858
Named for	James McDowell[1]
Seat	Welch
Largest city	Welch
Area
• Total	535 sq mi (1,390 km2)
• Land	533 sq mi (1,380 km2)
• Water	1.4 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,111
• Estimate  (2021)	18,363
• Density	36/sq mi (14/km2)
Demonym	McDowellian (Colloquial)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	mcdowellcountycommission.com

McDowell County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,111.^[2] Its county seat is Welch.^[3] McDowell County is the southernmost county in the state. It was created in 1858 by the Virginia General Assembly and named for Virginia Governor James McDowell.^[4] It became a part of West Virginia in 1863, when several Union-affiliated counties seceded from the state of Virginia during the American Civil War. McDowell County is located in the Cumberland Mountains, part of the Appalachia region.

Due mostly to a decline in employment in the coal mining industry, McDowell County's population has decreased from almost 100,000 in 1950 to less than 20,000 in 2020. The people of McDowell County suffer high rates of drug abuse and poverty, and have a life expectancy well below the national average.