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West Virginia

#17 of 50 states · 👍 Solid

#17of 50
West Virginia among U.S. states
C68
👍 Solid
🏆 Disastertop 13%
🚽 Mentalbottom 6%
Rolled up from 26 ranked cities · 392,939 residents
Taxes
6.59% sales · US 7.00%up to 4.82% income · US 4.63%

City heat map

Every ranked city — bubble size = population, color = how it ranks within West Virginia. Tap a bubble for its card.

Best-ranked in West VirginiaWorst-ranked

Color is each city's rank within West Virginia — not its national score. Hover or open a bubble for that, or see every city on one scale on the national map.

The breakdown — worst first

Poor mental health6

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Adults reporting frequent poor mental health (14+ days a month).

Adult smoking13

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Share of adults who currently smoke.

Adult obesity17

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Share of adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30).

Physical inactivity19

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Adults with no leisure-time physical activity.

Median household income22

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.

Poverty rate24

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.

Income inequality28

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).

Broadband access29

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Population growth (5yr)32

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

5-year population change — are people moving in, or fleeing?

Homeownership45

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.

Bachelor's degree or higher53

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.

Uninsured adults60

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Adults 18–64 without health insurance.

Unemployment rate63

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Share of the labor force out of work.

Air quality (AQI)66

Population-weighted average across 16 West Virginia cities

Median air quality index — lower is cleaner air.

Commute time72

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.

Property-tax burden79

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.

Housing cost80

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.

Unhealthy air days82

Population-weighted average across 16 West Virginia cities

Days per year with unhealthy air (AQI above 100).

Rent86

Population-weighted average across 15 West Virginia cities

Typical monthly rent (Zillow Observed Rent Index, all home types).

Natural disaster risk87

Population-weighted average across 26 West Virginia cities

FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire, flood, earthquake, heat and more.

See all West Virginia cities →

West Virginia's headline score is the population-weighted average of its cities' scores, placed on a curve relative to the other states — a bird's-eye, states-vs-states ranking. The breakdown bars above are the absolute, per-metric rollup across its cities of 5,000+ residents. The heat map colors each city by its rank within West Virginia(greenest = best here); the city lists below show each city's national score.