WV
West Virginia
FIPS 54 · Population 1,778,373
6 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
1.8M ▼
Population
334,922,499 U.S.
$59,608 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
$106.5B
GDP
4%
Unemployment
4% national
County Map
Click a county to view its economic profile
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$59,608
Per Capita
$34,203
Mean Household
$81,190
Poverty Rate ⓘ
16.7% ▼
Age & Race / Ethnicity
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20%
18-34 · 20.7%
35-54 · 24.6%
55-64 · 13.6%
65+ · 21%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
89.3%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 0.3 pts
24.1%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 11.6 pts
9.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 4.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
1,778,373
Population
789,773
Labor Force
Employed
744,248
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2024 annual
4%
Mean Commute
26.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.1%
West Virginia's median household income sits 26% below the national median. At 16.7%, its poverty rate runs 4.2 pts above the ~12.5% national level, relevant for federal funding eligibility narratives. Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 24.1% trails the national average of 35.7%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates (released December 2025). Figures reflect the most recent Census release, older news reports may cite prior vintages.
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, affecting retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base statewide.
- Elevated poverty: At 16.7%, the rate supports federal funding narratives across distressed counties (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 11.6 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 43 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 135,836 workers (28.3% of the tracked sectors), at an average wage of $64,255.
- Economic scale: State GDP of $106.5B (2024).
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Attraction Opportunities - Below-Average Industries
LQ < 0.5, below-average employment, potential attraction targets. Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector
0.06x
Air Transportation
144 employed
0.09x
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets
9 employed
0.12x
Web Search Portals, Libraries, and Archives
98 employed
0.16x
Paper Manufacturing
258 employed
0.17x
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
752 employed
0.18x
Animal Production and Aquaculture
222 employed
0.19x
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
474 employed
0.24x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
1,178 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Mining (except Oil and Gas) concentrates at 16.49x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base across the state.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$162,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$872 ▲
Rent/Mo
74.9% ▲
Owner-Occ
15.4% ▼
Vacancy
2.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents (Statewide)
Renter-household-weighted average across 55 Fair Market Rent areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$754/mo$618 to $1,133
1 Bedroom
$810/mo$662 to $1,255
2 Bedroom
$1,000/mo$869 to $1,573
3 Bedroom
$1,296/mo$1,042 to $1,965
4 Bedroom
$1,468/mo$1,151 to $2,639
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,490/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.7x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction.
- High home ownership: 74.9% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 15.4% vacancy rate; potential redevelopment opportunity.
Source: Census ACS housing tables.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
1,048,282 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
▲ vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.6 min
Work From Home
9.1%
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
24.1%
HS Diploma+
89.3%
Top Institutions
Degrees, certificates, and other credentials awarded last academic year (College Scorecard).
14,167/yr
6,534/yr
2,637/yr
1,065/yr
863/yr
706/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
23.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
37.9%
Service
17.4%
Sales & Office
19.9%
Construction / Maint.
10.5%
Production / Transport
14.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 744,248 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 23.1% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Low participation: 55.5% suggests untapped capacity; workforce development may unlock supply.
Source: ACS workforce data.
County Profiles
55 counties in West Virginia
Barbour County
FIPS 54001
Berkeley County
FIPS 54003
Boone County
FIPS 54005
Braxton County
FIPS 54007
Brooke County
FIPS 54009
Cabell County
FIPS 54011
Calhoun County
FIPS 54013
Clay County
FIPS 54015
Doddridge County
FIPS 54017
Fayette County
FIPS 54019
Gilmer County
FIPS 54021
Grant County
FIPS 54023
Greenbrier County
FIPS 54025
Hampshire County
FIPS 54027
Hancock County
FIPS 54029
Hardy County
FIPS 54031
Harrison County
FIPS 54033
Jackson County
FIPS 54035
Jefferson County
FIPS 54037
Kanawha County
FIPS 54039
Lewis County
FIPS 54041
Lincoln County
FIPS 54043
Logan County
FIPS 54045
Marion County
FIPS 54049
Marshall County
FIPS 54051
Mason County
FIPS 54053
McDowell County
FIPS 54047
Mercer County
FIPS 54055
Mineral County
FIPS 54057
Mingo County
FIPS 54059
Monongalia County
FIPS 54061
Monroe County
FIPS 54063
Morgan County
FIPS 54065
Nicholas County
FIPS 54067
Ohio County
FIPS 54069
Pendleton County
FIPS 54071
Pleasants County
FIPS 54073
Pocahontas County
FIPS 54075
Preston County
FIPS 54077
Putnam County
FIPS 54079
Raleigh County
FIPS 54081
Randolph County
FIPS 54083
Ritchie County
FIPS 54085
Roane County
FIPS 54087
Summers County
FIPS 54089
Taylor County
FIPS 54091
Tucker County
FIPS 54093
Tyler County
FIPS 54095
Upshur County
FIPS 54097
Wayne County
FIPS 54099
Webster County
FIPS 54101
Wetzel County
FIPS 54103
Wirt County
FIPS 54105
Wood County
FIPS 54107
Wyoming County
FIPS 54109
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 6 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
West Virginia shows strong potential for mining (except oil and gas) attraction, with a 16.49x concentration and 13,821 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 23.1% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
Cluster depth across mining (except oil and gas), oil and gas extraction, and support activities for mining creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
Take it further
AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.
Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.
Schedule a DemoAvailable as premium offerings.
Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
USAspending.govFY2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for West Virginia, from federal data sources.
What is the population of West Virginia?
1,778,373 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in West Virginia?
$59,608 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in West Virginia?
4% (2024 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of West Virginia?
$106.5B (BEA SAGDP (state GDP)).
West Virginia (WV): Public data. Imagine the full platform.
Get a Demo →