[3] Webster County was formed from parts of Nicholas, Braxton, and Randolph counties in Virginia through the approval of an act of the Virginia General Assembly during its 1859-1860 session.

When the state was formed, each county was divided into multiple civil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government.

This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, so in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts.

[6] Webster County's three original townships, subsequently magisterial districts, were Fork Lick, Glade, and Holly.

[8] As of the census of 2000, there were 9,719 people, 4,010 households, and 2,815 families living in the county.

26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 9,154 people, 3,792 households, and 2,595 families living in the county.

[14] In terms of ancestry, 19.8% were American, 15.7% were Irish, 12.6% were German, and 8.9% were English.

However, in 2012 Mitt Romney carried the county handily, by a 27.52% margin.