Jackson County, West Virginia

Jackson County is a county in West Virginia, United States, about 40 miles southeast of
Parkersburg along the Ohio River. It had a population of 27,791 at the 2020 census, an estimated
27,705 by 2024, and covers 471 square miles (1,220 km2) centred near 38°50′N 81°40′W.

Ripley is the county seat; its postal code is 25271. The county holds 2 cities, 1 census-designated
place and 17 unincorporated communities, grouped into three magisterial districts — Eastern,
Northern and Western — and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 54035.

Towns & Villages in Jackson County

Jackson County has 20 named places on record: 2 incorporated cities, 1 census-designated place
(CDP) and 17 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own and, in most cases,
no census population count.

The county’s earlier settlement list carried more than seventy names, most of them farm-camp
labels, misspellings or places belonging to neighbouring counties with no independent record in
the Census Bureau’s Gazetteer or Wikipedia’s own Jackson County community list. This table keeps
only the two cities, the one CDP and the seventeen unincorporated communities the county article
itself documents; Fairplain, an unincorporated crossroads five miles south-southeast of Ripley on
Interstate 77, is real but sits outside the county’s own official community list and is omitted
here pending a firmer source.

ZIP Codes

• 25271 — Ripley (the county seat’s own code)
• 26164 — Ravenswood, on the Ohio River in the county’s north
• 25239 — Cottageville
• 25231 — Advent
• 25244 — Gay
• 25245 — Given
• 25248 — Kenna
• 25252 — LeRoy
• 25262 — Millwood
• 25275 — Sandyville
• 26173 — Sherman

Evans, Flatwoods, Fletcher, Independence, Kentuck, Mount Alto, Murraysville, Rock Castle and
Romance have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under a neighbouring town’s code.

Geography

Jackson County sits in the Ohio River valley of west-central West Virginia, a landscape of steep
wooded ridges cut by narrow creek bottoms. Of its 471 square miles, 464 are land and 7.3 are water,
about 1.5 percent, coming mostly from the Ohio River, which forms the county’s western border.
Sandy Creek and Mill Creek, both Ohio River tributaries, run through the county’s northern and
central sections.

Wood County lies to the north, Wirt County to the northeast, Roane County to the east, Kanawha
County to the south, Putnam County to the southwest and Mason County to the west; Meigs County,
Ohio, faces the county across the river to the northwest. Wood County, Wirt County, Roane County, Kanawha County, Putnam County and Mason County all border Jackson
directly.

Demographics

Jackson County had a population of 27,791 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 27,705 residents as of 2024. Ravenswood and Ripley are the two largest communities,
together holding roughly a quarter of the county’s population. Median household income runs
$58,845 (2024 estimate), above West Virginia’s statewide figure of $55,948 (2023 ACS). Population
density works out to about 60 people per square mile of land, low even for a rural West Virginia
county, reflecting the ridge-and-hollow terrain that limits where people can settle.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 1,895 people,
followed by manufacturing at 1,472 and retail trade at 1,057. Manufacturing’s weight traces to the
Kaiser Aluminum smelter complex south of Ravenswood, which ran from 1954 to 2015 and for decades
was the county’s largest single employer; the site now operates under Constellium and Century
Aluminum. Ripley hosts Jackson General Hospital and the county’s court and administrative offices.
The county’s biggest annual event is Ripley’s Fourth of July celebration, promoted locally as the
Biggest Small Town Fourth of July Celebration in the country, drawing a parade, carnival and
fireworks each July.

History

The Virginia General Assembly formed Jackson County on 1 March 1831 out of parts of Kanawha,
Wood and Mason counties, and named it for Andrew Jackson, then serving as the seventh U.S.
president. Ripley was chartered as the county seat in 1832, named for Harry Ripley, a young
minister said to have drowned in Big Mill Creek shortly before his wedding. Huntsville, once a
formally organised town in the county, has since reverted to unincorporated status.

In July 1863, the Battle of Buffington Island — the only naval engagement fought in West
Virginia during the Civil War — took place on the Ohio River near present-day Ravenswood, as
Union gunboats intercepted Confederate cavalry under John Hunt Morgan attempting to cross into
Ohio. Ripley was also the site of West Virginia’s last public execution, in 1897.

Getting There

Interstate 77 crosses the county’s eastern side, with US Route 33 and West Virginia Routes 2,
34, 62, 68 and 87 also running through the county.

• Parkersburg — about 40 miles north
• Charleston — about 45 miles south
• Point Pleasant — about 25 miles southwest
• Spencer — about 20 miles east

Yeager Airport in Charleston, roughly 45 miles south of Ripley, is the nearest major commercial
airport. Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport near Parkersburg, about 35 miles north, offers a closer
but smaller commercial option. Jackson County has no active Amtrak station; the nearest stop is in
Charleston on the Cardinal line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Jackson County located?
It sits in the Ohio River valley of west-central West Virginia, bordered by Wood, Wirt, Roane,
Kanawha, Putnam and Mason counties, plus Meigs County, Ohio, across the river.

What is the population of Jackson County?
27,791 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 27,705.

How big is Jackson County?
471 square miles (1,220 km2) in total, of which 464 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Jackson County?
Ripley, chartered in 1832, is the county seat; Ravenswood is the county’s most populous city.

How many towns and cities are in Jackson County?
Two incorporated cities, Ripley and Ravenswood, plus the Cottageville CDP and 17 unincorporated
communities including Advent, Kenna, Sandyville and Sherman.

What ZIP codes does Jackson County use?
25271 for Ripley, 26164 for Ravenswood, 25239 for Cottageville, and separate codes for Advent,
Gay, Given, Kenna, LeRoy, Millwood, Sandyville and Sherman.

What is Jackson County known for?
The 1863 Battle of Buffington Island, the only Civil War naval action fought in West Virginia, and
Ripley’s Fourth of July celebration, promoted as the country’s Biggest Small Town Fourth of July
Celebration.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in West Virginia.