This list of West Virginia counties by socioeconomic factors is taken from the "Quick Facts" web pages of the United States Census Bureau and the Population Health Institute of the University of Wisconsin. All data listed is for 2020 unless otherwise stated.
By comparison with other states, the statistics in the following table shows that West Virginia has a lower average on most socioeconomic factors than most U.S. states. West Virginia lost population from 2010 and 2020. The West Virginia population is less educated compared to the national average as measured by the lower percentage of people with bachelor's or higher degrees. West Virginia has a higher rate of people in poverty than the U.S. as a whole. West Virginia has less diversity in its population with a much higher percentage of non-Hispanic whites than the national average.
In 2019, West Virginia had the lowest life expectancy of any U.S. state.[1] West Virginians have a life expectancy of four years less than the national average. However, two (out of 55) West Virginia counties have life expectancies exceeding the national average. A few West Virginia counties also exceed the U.S. national average for income, population growth rate, education, and have a lower rate of poverty. A majority of voters in every county of West Virginia voted for the Republican candidate for president in 2020. The percentage of people with health insurance in West Virginia exceeds the national average.
The 2020 census is a snapshot of West Virginia's population. Depending upon the methodology used and the time of measurement, socioeconomic statistics cited may vary from year to year, especially in counties with small populations where, for example, the gain or loss of a major employer may result in a sizeable change in measurements of poverty, population growth, income, and others.
Socioeconomic statistics for West Virginia counties
| Per capita income | Median household income | Population 2020 | Population growth rate 2010-2020 | Racial characteristics of population | Life expectancy in years 2022 | % of people in poverty | % of 25+ year old people with bachelor or higher degrees | % of people without health insurance | % vote for Biden in 2020 election[2][3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $37,638 | $69,201 | 331,449,520 | 7.4% | 59.3% non-Hispanic white | 78.5 | 11.6% | 33.7% | 9.8% | 51.3% |
| West Virginia | $28,761 | $50,884 | 1,793,716 | -3.2% | 91.5% non-Hispanic White | 74.3 | 16.8% | 21.8% | 7.6% | 29.7% |
| COUNTY | ||||||||||
| Barbour | $23,616 | $42,260 | 15,465 | -6.8% | 94.9% non-Hispanic white | 75.0 | 19.7% | 13.0% | 9.2% | 21.8% |
| Berkeley | $32,695 | $68,101 | 122,076 | 17.2% | 82.2% non-Hispanic white | 74.9 | 9.9% | 23.4% | 7.8% | 33.3% |
| Boone | $23,630 | $50,598 | 21,809 | -11.4% | 97.3% non-Hispanic white | 71.1 | 24.7% | 11.3% | 8.3% | 22.6% |
| Braxton | $21,361 | $42,519 | 12,447 | -14.3% | 96.0% non-Hispanic white | 76.3 | 21.3% | 13.8% | 9.6% | 25.7% |
| Brooke | $28,203 | $51,210 | 22,559 | -6.3% | 95.1% non-Hispanic white | 75.8 | 13.0% | 20.5% | 7.4% | 27.7% |
| Cabell | $27,985 | $43,779 | 94,350 | -2.0% | 89.8% non-Hispanic white | 71.3 | 19.0% | 28.3% | 8.1% | 40.1% |
| Calhoun | $23,658 | $37,428 | 6,229 | -18.3% | 96.6% non-Hispanic white | 76.5 | 23.8% | 10.2% | 8.5% | 19.1% |
| Clay | $19,149 | $37,197 | 8,051 | -14.2% | 96.7% non-Hispanic white | 72.4 | 22.3% | 12.0% | 9.0% | 19.0% |
| Doddridge | $28,751 | $58,750 | 7,808 | -4.8% | 94.2% non-Hispanic white | 79.8 | 18.1% | 13.1% | 9.2% | 14.0% |
| Fayette | $22,677 | $45,988 | 40,488 | -12.1% | 92.1% non-Hispanic white | 72.7 | 19.9% | 16.4% | 8.8% | 30.0% |
| Gilmer | $18,855 | $45,870 | 7,408 | -14.8% | 80.7% non-Hispanic white | 76.8 | 25.3% | 20.2% | 9.4% | 22.5% |
| Grant | $25,221 | $47,224 | 10,976 | -8.1% | 95.9% non-Hispanic white | 76.6 | 15.2% | 11.4% | 9.8% | 11.0% |
| Greenbrier | $27,462 | $41,694 | 32,977 | -7.1% | 92.4% non-Hispanic white | 74.4 | 18.9% | 19.0% | 9.6% | 29.4% |
| Hampshire | $25,324 | $50,980 | 23,093 | -3.6% | 95.3% non-Hispanic white | 75.2 | 15.9% | 12.6% | 10.2% | 19.2% |
| Hancock | $31,066 | $52,062 | 29,095 | -5.2% | 93.3% non-Hispanic white | 74.4 | 14.9% | 17.8% | 9.1% | 27.5% |
| Hardy | $28,388 | $46,592 | 14,299 | 2.0% | 90.0% non-Hispanic white | 75.5 | 17.5% | 13.2% | 11.9% | 21.8% |
| Harrison | $30,029 | $54,124 | 65,921 | -4.6% | 93.7% non-Hispanic white | 75.2 | 14.6% | 23.3% | 8.9% | 30.2% |
| Jackson | $28,937 | $53,165 | 27,971 | -4.2% | 96.5% non-Hispanic white | 76.1 | 15.4% | 17.3% | 7.4% | 23.7% |
| Jefferson | $38,946 | $86,711 | 52,701 | 7.9% | 82.2% non-Hispanic white | 77.4 | 9.7% | 31.1% | 7.1% | 43.8% |
| Kanawha | $31,894 | $50,574 | 180,745 | -6.4% | 87.5% non-Hispanic white | 72.5 | 15.9% | 27.4% | 7.9% | 41.8% |
| Lewis | $26,271 | $45,345 | 17,033 | 4.0% | 96.0% non-Hispanic white | 73.0 | 17.9% | 16.0% | 8.9% | 20.6% |
| Lincoln | $23,084 | $46,683 | 20,463 | -5.8% | 97.2% non-Hispanic white | 70.8 | 20.3% | 7.8% | 7.9% | 21.8% |
| Logan | $22,858 | $38,493 | 32,567 | -11.4% | 95.9% non-Hispanic white | 68.5 | 23.5% | 11.2% | 9.4% | 17.9% |
| Marion | $29,526 | $55,094 | 26,205 | -0.4% | 92.6% non-Hispanic white | 76.5 | 15.1% | 24.0 | 9.1 | 34.5% |
| Marshall | $30,706 | $52,706 | 30,591 | -7.6% | 96.2% non-Hispanic white | 75.7 | 16.4% | 19.4% | 7.6% | 24.5% |
| Mason | $28,598 | $49,957 | 25,453 | -6.8% | 96.1% non-Hispanic white | 73.6 | 18.6% | 14.7% | 6.7% | 22.5% |
| McDowell | $15,474 | $39,127 | 19,111 | -13.6% | 88.7% non-Hispanic white | 67.7 | 31.7% | 6.4% | 9.7% | 20.4% |
| Mercer | $25,061 | $43,393 | 59,664 | -9.0% | 89.9% non-Hispanic white | 71.8 | 18.1% | 20.7% | 8.3% | 22.1% |
| Mineral | $30,564 | $57,345 | 26,938 | -5.1% | 93.3% non-Hispanic white | 75.5 | 13.5% | 20.7% | 7.3% | 20.7% |
| Mingo | $19,631 | $35,349 | 23,568 | -12.2% | 95.7% non-Hispanic white | 70.1 | 31.1% | 9.0% | 10.1% | 13.9% |
| Monongalia | $36,502 | $56,466 | 105,822 | 10.0% | 87.9% non-Hispanic white | 79.3 | 18.3% | 46.4% | 9.2% | 48.2% |
| Monroe | $23,787 | $47,417 | 12,376 | -8.3% | 95.6% non-Hispanic white | 76.5 | 15.3% | 14.9% | 10.4% | 20.7% |
| Morgan | $31,402 | $56,616 | 17,063 | -2.7% | 94.3% non-Hispanic white | 75.5 | 12.8% | 19.5% | 9.9% | 23.0% |
| Nicholas | $22,898 | $42,946 | 24,064 | -8.3% | 96.6% non-Hispanic white | 74.8 | 19.8% | 15.9% | 8.5% | 20.9% |
| Ohio | $32,336 | $57,516 | 42,425 | -4.5% | 91.8% non-Hispanic white | 74.7 | 14.7% | 33.3% | 7.7% | 36.3% |
| Pendleton | $25,108 | $46,506 | 6,143 | -20.2% | 94.5% non-Hispanic white | 76.7 | 16.0% | 16.5% | 10.5% | 22.4% |
| Pleasants | $35,800 | $58,433 | 7,653 | -0.6% | 95.4% non-Hispanic white | 76.7 | 14.3% | 11.9% | 6.4% | 20.0% |
| Pocahontas | $21,639 | $37,225 | 7,869 | -9.7% | 94.4% non-Hispanic white | 75.3 | 16.2% | 13.9% | 9.9% | 26.1% |
| Preston | $26,504 | $55,755 | 34,216 | 2.1% | 95.9% non-Hispanic white | 76.4 | 14.3% | 16.8% | 8.8% | 21.7% |
| Putnam | $34,832 | $68,740 | 57,440 | 3.5% | 94.9% non-Hispanic white | 76.2 | 10.1% | 26.7% | 6.5% | 27.6% |
| Raleigh | $25,549 | $43,150 | 74,591 | -5.1% | 87.3% non-Hispanic white | 71.5 | 22.0% | 19.8% | 7.5% | 24.1% |
| Randolph | $24,888 | $47,343 | 26,932 | -5.0% | 95.2% non-Hispanic white | 76.4 | 17.6% | 17.3% | 9.0% | 27.6% |
| Ritchie | $25,094 | $45,184 | 8,444 | -19.2% | 96.7% non-Hispanic white | 76.2 | 19.2% | 9.6% | 9.9% | 13.7% |
| Roane | $23,291 | $38,608 | 14,028 | -6.0% | 96.3% non-Hispanic white | 72.8 | 18.2% | 13.4% | 9.0% | 25.2% |
| Summers | $23,195 | $41,077 | 11,959 | -14.1% | 91.7% non-Hispanic white | 74.1 | 24.8% | 17.2% | 8.8% | 25.9% |
| Taylor | $27,899 | $52,823 | 16,705 | -1.1% | 95.9% non-Hispanic white | 76.0 | 16.0% | 16.0% | 9.1% | 24.3% |
| Tucker | $27,914 | $49,808 | 6,762 | -5.3% | 97.1% non-Hispanic white | 75.5 | 14.7% | 20.6% | 11.3% | 24.4% |
| Tyler | $27,047 | $50,601 | 8,313 | -9.7% | 96.7% non-Hispanic white | 77.1 | 14.0% | 15.3% | 7.3% | 16.1% |
| Upshur | $26,995 | $44,470 | 23,816 | -1.8% | 95.5% non-Hispanic white | 77.8 | 18.6% | 16.3% | 9.6% | 22.1% |
| Wayne | $25,683 | $45,951 | 38,982 | -8.4% | 96.8% non-Hispanic white | 73.3 | 16.2% | 17.2% | 8.2% | 24.1% |
| Webster | $19,672 | $37,720 | 8,378 | -2.5% | 97.1% non-Hispanic white | 74.3 | 25.2% | 12.5% | 8.1% | 17.9% |
| Wetzel | $24,688 | $47,611 | 14,442 | -12.9% | 96.8% non-Hispanic white | 75.2 | 16.4% | 14.5% | 8.0% | 23.1% |
| Wirt | $25,483 | $49,441 | 5,194 | -9.1% | 96.4% non-Hispanic white | 76.5 | 17.7% | 14.1% | 8.4% | 17.6% |
| Wood | $29,176 | $50,231 | 84,296 | -3.1% | 94.9% non-Hispanic white | 74.7 | 14.7% | 21.8% | 9.0% | 28.2% |
| Wyoming | $22,237 | $44,630 | 21,382 | -10.1% | 97.0% non-Hispanic white | 71.3 | 25.0% | 11.6% | 9.1% | 13.5% |
Sources: [1], "Quick Facts", U.S. Census Bureau, accessed 12 April 2023. Search counties, each of which has a page with the above data, by name and state. [2], "County Health Rankings & Roadmaps," Population Health Institute, University of Wisconsin, accessed 12 April 2023. Life expectancy found under heading of "Additional Health Outcomes" for each county.
References
- ^ "Life Expectancy". University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ "Federal Elections, 2020" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ Leip, David. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – West Virginia". US Election Atlas. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
This page was last edited on 9 February 2024, at 21:01