[4] The county is named for Return J. Meigs Jr., the fourth Governor of Ohio.

[6] The Ohio River forms the eastern and southern boundaries of the county, the other side of which is located in West Virginia.

The landscape is considered to be anywhere from gently rolling to rugged, typical of a dissected plateau.

Another stream of note is Raccoon Creek, which flows through a small area of the northwestern corner of the county.

Features such as high walls, spoil piles, and irregular topography are still prevalent.

Many tributaries in the Leading Creek basin are plagued by acid mine drainage and sedimentation.

Snowfall averages 20–25", falling between late November and the first week of April.

25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 23,770 people, 9,557 households, and 6,698 families living in the county.

[18] Owing to its history as a settlement of the Yankee Ohio Company of Associates, Meigs County was reliably Republican for the first century following that party's formation.

It was won four times by Democrats between 1964 and 1996 (although Bill Clinton who carried Meigs twice did so only with pluralities) but has become powerfully Republican again since 2000.