[3] Wood County is part of the Parkersburg-Vienna, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

It was named for the then Governor of Virginia (1796–99), James Wood, formerly a brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War.

The delegates of the 40 western counties who opposed secession formed their own government and seceded from the Confederate state of Virginia.

Later that year, West Virginia's counties were divided into civil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government.

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

[4] Wood County was divided into ten districts: Clay, Harris, Lubeck, Parkersburg, Slate, Steele, Tygart, Union, Walker, and Williams.

[6] Wood County's northern and western boundary is the Ohio River.

[13] As of the 2010 United States census, there were 86,956 people, 36,571 households, and 24,262 families living in the county.

[17] As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 87,986 people, 36,275 households, and 24,884 families living in the county.

27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The only Democrats to win Wood County have been Samuel J. Tilden in 1876, Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and 1916, Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1932 and 1940, Harry S. Truman in 1948, and Lyndon Johnson in 1964.