Cost of living in West Virginia

West Virginia at a glance

Median rent

$872

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$59,608

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$162,600

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$865

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

27 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

5.4%

Census ACS, DP03

West Virginia's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 11% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in West Virginia

These are the most populous places in West Virginia, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Kanawha County

  Population

  177K

  Rent

  $906

  Household income

  $60,943

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $964

  Set as targetPlan

• Berkeley County

  Population

  130K

  Rent

  $1,233

  Household income

  $80,815

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,398

  Set as targetPlan

• Monongalia County

  Population

  107K

  Rent

  $987

  Household income

  $65,346

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,248

  Set as targetPlan

West Virginia, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state. Most western delegates opposed secession at the Virginia convention of April 1861 and later met on their own at Wheeling. West Virginia joined the Union in 1863 and made Charleston its permanent capital in 1885.

• New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

  A whitewater river in deep canyons, among the oldest rivers on the continent, within 70,000 acres of parkland.

• Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

  The town where the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers meet, site of John Brown's raid against slavery.

• Blackwater Falls State Park

  A 57-foot waterfall with amber water, colored by tannic acid from hemlock and red spruce needles.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in West Virginia

Current owners in West Virginia pay a median 0.53% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $865 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $303 in Webster County to $1,857 in Jefferson County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in West Virginia

Life expectancy

72.1 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

7.4%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

22.9%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

146

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for West Virginia as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in West Virginia

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$999M

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$2.43

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$859M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

Kanawha County, WV is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 55 counties in West Virginia

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.