West Virginia population and demographics

West Virginia holds 0.52% of the US population and is smaller than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia). It is also one of a short list of states that are getting smaller: it is one of 7 states that had fewer residents in July 2025 than in April 2020, and its loss since the 2020 census base, −1.54%, matches Hawaii's (−1.54%¹) as the largest percentage decline of any state.

Below the 1950 peak for seven decades

The first census to count the area of the present state, in 1790, found 55,873 people. The count rose at every census until 1950, when it reached 2,005,552¹. That is still the high point. The population fell to 1,744,237 by 1970, recovered to 1,949,644 in 1980, and then fell back to 1,793,477⁹ in 1990.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	West Virginia
1790	55,873
1800	78,592
1810	105,469
1820	136,808
1830	176,924
1840	224,537
1850	302,313
1860	376,688
1870	442,014
1880	618,457
1890	762,794
1900	958,800
1910	1,221,119
1920	1,463,701
1930	1,729,205
1940	1,901,974
1950	2,005,552
1960	1,860,421
1970	1,744,237
1980	1,949,644
1990	1,793,477
2000	1,808,344
2010	1,852,994
2020	1,793,716
2021	1,785,921
2022	1,774,003
2023	1,770,036
2024	1,767,402
2025	1,766,147

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses West Virginia's population changed by −3.2%, the lowest in the nation and 10.6 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%)⁶. The annual estimates put the recent high at 1,858,706¹⁰ in July 2012; every July since has been lower than the one before. The July 2025 figure, 1,766,147¹, is smaller than the 1,901,974⁹ counted in 1940.

Population decides seats in the House of Representatives. After the 2020 census West Virginia's delegation changed by −1 seat, to 2, and each seat now represents 897,522 residents, the 3rd highest¹¹ number per seat of any state.

Is West Virginia one of the poorest states?

By income, yes. Half of West Virginia households had income below $61,340 in 2025 (±$1,301), $23,440 (28%) below the US figure ($84,780). Only Mississippi was lower ($59,346), and West Virginia's median is lower than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia). Adjusted for inflation, the 2025 median was not statistically different from $62,398 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars)⁴.

Maryland$107,700 ±$1,661

Virginia$99,322 ±$1,105

United States$84,780 ±$215

Pennsylvania$81,473 ±$603

Ohio$74,804 ±$615

Kentucky$66,447 ±$962

West Virginia$61,340 ±$1,301

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19013. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error. Period: 2025.

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State	Median household income	MOE
Maryland	$107,700	±$1,661
Virginia	$99,322	±$1,105
United States	$84,780	±$215
Pennsylvania	$81,473	±$603
Ohio	$74,804	±$615
Kentucky	$66,447	±$962
West Virginia	$61,340	±$1,301

The distribution is compressed at the top. Households with income of $200,000 or more make up 6.3%, the 2nd lowest share, while 20.8%¹² have less than $25,000. Tax records show the same thing from another angle: only 1.6 per 1,000 tax returns reported income of $1 million or more in 2023, the lowest in the nation, and those returns held 5.9% of all reported income, also the lowest in the nation¹³.

The official poverty rate was 16.0% (±0.8 percentage points), 4.2 percentage points above the US figure (11.8%); given the margins of error the state ranks between 3rd and 7th. That is down from 18.0% in 2005¹⁴, the first year of the annual survey series, and not statistically different from 16.7% in 2024. Compared with other states, poverty stands out most among working-age adults: their rate, 16.1%, is tied for 2nd highest (between 1st and 4th), closer to the top than child poverty (19.0%, 8th highest) or poverty among residents 65 and older (13.3%). Child poverty was down from 21.6% in 2024⁵, a statistically significant fall.

A different measure gives a different answer. The Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure counts tax credits and benefits such as SNAP as income, subtracts medical and work expenses, and adjusts the poverty line for local housing costs. Averaged over 2023 to 2025, it puts West Virginia at 12.1%, not statistically different from the US figure (13.0%), against 13.5% on the official measure from the same survey. The supplemental rate minus the official rate is −1.4 percentage points in West Virginia, against 2.3 percentage points¹⁵ nationally: the adjustment pulls the state's rate down where it pushes the national rate up.

SNAP and Medicaid: how many West Virginians get help

Three sources answer the "what percent" questions, and they measure different things, so their numbers should not be mixed.

• SNAP (food stamps), from program records. An average of 272,843 people in 145,925 households received SNAP each month in fiscal year 2025: 15.4% of residents, the 6th highest share and higher than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia). The average benefit was $170.47 per person per month, $18.89 (10%) below the US figure ($189.36)¹⁷.
• SNAP, from the survey. The American Community Survey found 16.4% of households (±0.8 percentage points) receiving SNAP in 2025, the 3rd highest share. About half of households in poverty, 49.5%, received it, 7.5 percentage points above the US figure (42.0%)¹⁸.
• Medicaid and CHIP, from program records. In June 2026, 485,007 people were enrolled, 27.5% of the population, the 9th highest share and 6.0 percentage points above the US figure (21.5%). Of them, 191,731 were children. Enrollment changed by −3.3% from June 2025, a smaller fall than the national −5.8%¹⁹.

New Mexico48.1% ±1.0

West Virginia45.5% ±0.8

Louisiana44.2% ±0.7

Kentucky43.1% ±0.5

New York42.7% ±0.3

Oregon41.1% ±0.5

Vermont41.1% ±1.1

Arkansas40.0% ±0.7

Maine39.9% ±0.7

Hawaii39.6% ±0.9

United States35.4% ±0.1

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table S2704. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	Public health coverage	MOE
New Mexico	48.1%	±1.0
West Virginia	45.5%	±0.8
Louisiana	44.2%	±0.7
Kentucky	43.1%	±0.5
New York	42.7%	±0.3
Oregon	41.1%	±0.5
Vermont	41.1%	±1.1
Arkansas	40.0%	±0.7
Maine	39.9%	±0.7
Hawaii	39.6%	±0.9
United States	35.4%	±0.1

Counting every public program together, 45.5% of residents had public health coverage in 2025, the 2nd highest share after New Mexico and higher than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia). Medicare covers 25.3% of residents, 5.7 percentage points above the US figure (19.6%); Medicaid or other means-tested coverage reaches 21.3% overall and 43.4%²⁰ of children under 19. Only 6.9% of residents had no health insurance, 1.5 percentage points below the US figure (8.4%), though that share was up from 5.8% in 2024²¹.

Why West Virginia shrinks: deaths, not departures

A state's population changes through births minus deaths (natural change), net moves from other states (domestic migration) and net moves from abroad (international migration). In West Virginia the first is strongly negative and the other two are positive but too small to fill the gap.

Births+89,321

Deaths−138,783

Net domestic migration+16,553

Net international migration+5,138

Residual (estimation adjustment)+159

Total change−27,612

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

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Component	People
Births	89,321
Deaths	−138,783
Net domestic migration	16,553
Net international migration	5,138
Residual (estimation adjustment)	159
Total change	−27,612

In the year to June 2025 the state recorded 16,954 births and 24,841 deaths, a natural change of −7,887. Per resident, that is −4.5 per 1,000 residents, the lowest in the nation. The death rate, 14.1 per 1,000 residents, is the highest in the nation, 55% above the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents) and well above second-placed Mississippi (12.1 per 1,000 residents). The birth rate, 9.6 per 1,000 residents, is 10% below the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents)¹.

Utah 6.2West Virginia 14.1

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each dot is a state. Period: July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

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State	Death rate per 1,000
West Virginia	14.1
Mississippi	12.1
Maine	11.9
Arkansas	11.8
Alabama	11.6
Kentucky	11.6
Oklahoma	11.2
Tennessee	11.1
Missouri	10.9
Ohio	10.7
South Carolina	10.7
Louisiana	10.6
Pennsylvania	10.6
Vermont	10.5
New Mexico	10.4
Iowa	10.4
Michigan	10.4
Delaware	10.3
Indiana	10.2
Montana	10.0
New Hampshire	10.0
Kansas	9.9
Oregon	9.9
Wyoming	9.8
Florida	9.7
Wisconsin	9.7
North Carolina	9.7
Arizona	9.4
South Dakota	9.3
Rhode Island	9.3
Nebraska	9.1
Nevada	9.0
Illinois	9.0
North Dakota	9.0
Virginia	8.8
Connecticut	8.8
Hawaii	8.8
Georgia	8.7
Minnesota	8.7
Maryland	8.6
Massachusetts	8.3
Idaho	8.3
Washington	8.3
New York	8.0
New Jersey	7.9
Alaska	7.5
Colorado	7.5
Texas	7.4
California	7.3
District of Columbia	7.0
Utah	6.2

Deaths have exceeded births in every year since 2020: natural change was −10,448 in the year to June 2021, −12,823 in 2022, −8,822 in 2023, −7,940 in 2024 and −7,887 in 2025. Over the whole period since April 2020 it adds up to −49,462, the 3rd lowest¹ total of any state. An older population records more deaths per resident, and West Virginia is among the oldest states (see the age section). Age is not the whole picture, though: life expectancy at birth, a measure that does not depend on the age mix, is also the shortest in the country.

More people move in than move out

Moves to and from other states have not been the source of the decline in recent years. West Virginia gained 6,408 more residents from other states than it lost in the year to June 2025, and has had a net gain from domestic migration in every year since 2020: 3,028, 253, 3,348, 4,312, then 6,408. Relative to its size, the 2025 gain of 3.6 per 1,000 residents is the 13th highest among the states and higher than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia)¹.

Movement from abroad is the smallest anywhere. Net international migration was 244 people in the year to June 2025, the lowest in the nation in absolute terms and per resident (0.1 per 1,000 residents, against 3.7 per 1,000 residents¹ nationally).

Survey and tax data on individual moves point the same way, though the survey's margins of error are wide. The American Community Survey counted 42,495 people moving to West Virginia from another state in 2024 and 35,062²² moving the other way, both among the lowest totals of any state. IRS records for 2022 to 2023 show 36,521 people arriving on tax returns and 33,384²³ leaving. Most residents stay put: 65.4% were born in West Virginia, the 11th highest²⁴ share.

Moved to West Virginia from

Virginia7,315 ±2,190

Pennsylvania6,425 ±1,386

Ohio4,466 ±1,665

Maryland3,355 ±1,131

North Carolina2,786 ±1,215

Florida2,474 ±1,419

Texas2,296 ±945

Oregon2,188 ±2,703

Left West Virginia for

Ohio6,646 ±1,970

Virginia4,965 ±1,864

Pennsylvania3,296 ±1,111

Florida3,114 ±1,550

Kentucky2,915 ±1,687

Maryland2,338 ±902

South Carolina1,889 ±1,097

Illinois1,335 ±1,153

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Virginia	7,315 ±2,190	4,965 ±1,864
Pennsylvania	6,425 ±1,386	3,296 ±1,111
Ohio	4,466 ±1,665	6,646 ±1,970
Maryland	3,355 ±1,131	2,338 ±902
North Carolina	2,786 ±1,215	–
Florida	2,474 ±1,419	3,114 ±1,550
Texas	2,296 ±945	–
Oregon	2,188 ±2,703	–
Kentucky	1,123 ±599	2,915 ±1,687
South Carolina	–	1,889 ±1,097
Illinois	–	1,335 ±1,153

The lowest housing costs in the country

Low incomes meet the lowest housing prices of any state. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts the price level for rents in West Virginia at 54.2 (US = 100) in 2024, the least expensive in the nation. The median value of an owner-occupied home, $176,300, and the median gross rent, $921²⁷, are both the least expensive in the nation²⁶. Prices for goods (96.5) and services (99.9) are close to the national level, so the all-items price level, 89.5, sits 11% below the US figure (100.0). After adjusting for those prices, per capita income ($50,051 in 2024) is still the 2nd lowest²⁵.

Ownership is the norm. 74.7% of households own their home, tied for highest among the states (between 1st and 4th²⁸). Mobile homes account for 13.7% of housing units, 8.4 percentage points above the US figure (5.3%)³⁰. And 14.2% of homes stand vacant, the 4th highest share and 4.6 percentage points above the US figure (9.6%)²⁹.

Race and ethnicity: the least diverse state

West Virginia scores 22.2 on the diversity index, the chance that two residents picked at random belong to different race or ethnic groups, the least diverse in the nation³¹. Non-Hispanic white residents were 88.0% of the population in 2025, down from 88.9% in 2024².

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic88.0% 93.8%

Two or more races, not Hispanic4.2%

Black, not Hispanic4.0% 5.5%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)2.5%

Asian, not Hispanic0.9% 1.4%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.3%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.1% 2.2%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.0% 0.2%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	88.0%	±0.2	93.8%
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.2%	±0.3	–
Black, not Hispanic	4.0%	±0.3	5.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.5%	±0.2	–
Asian, not Hispanic	0.9%	±0.1	1.4%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.3%	±0.1	–
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.1%		2.2%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.0%		0.2%

Every other group is small, and several are the smallest share of any state. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race are 2.6% in the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, the lowest in the nation, though up from 2.0% in 2020. Black residents (alone, of any ethnicity) are 4.0%, lower than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia). Counting people who report Asian alone or with another race gives 1.4%, the lowest in the nation³⁴. The American Indian alone share, 0.3%, is also the lowest in the nation³³; at the 2020 Census the most common tribal response, alone or with other groups, was Cherokee³⁵.

The foreign-born share, 2.3%, is the lowest in the nation²⁴, and 2.8% of residents aged 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, also the lowest of the 49 states and DC with published data. Spanish is the most common of those languages, at 1.4%³⁶. New green cards (0.5 per 1,000 residents) and naturalizations (0.3 per 1,000 residents³⁸) in fiscal year 2024 were both the lowest in the nation³⁷ relative to population.

Ancestry: English, German, Irish and "American"

Asked about their ancestry in 2020–2024, West Virginians most often named English (15.7%), German (14.7%) and Irish (12.3%). Next came "American", reported by 9.5%, the 5th highest share of any state; the survey records this answer as people write it. The Scotch-Irish share, 1.6%, is the 4th highest³⁹. People can report more than one ancestry, so the shares do not add up.

A rural state

At the 2020 Census, 55.4% of West Virginians lived outside urban areas, the 3rd highest share in the country, highest in the South and 35.4 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%)⁴⁰. Density is 73.5 people per square mile, 24% below the US figure (96.7 people per square mile) and less dense than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia)⁴¹. 78.2% of workers drive to work alone and 8.2% work from home, the 5th lowest⁴² share. 89.7% of households have a broadband subscription, 4.3 percentage points below the US figure (94.0%)⁴³. This site covers states only, so county and city populations are not shown here.

Older, with fewer children

The median age is 43.5 years, the 4th oldest after Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, and older than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia)³. Residents 65 and older were 22.5% of the population in July 2025, up from 20.5% in 2020; their number rose to 398,189, up from 368,089 in 2020. Over the same years the number of children under 18 fell to 344,349, down from 361,500 in 2020³³.

MenWomenUnited States

MenWomen

85+

80–84

75–79

70–74

65–69

60–64

55–59

50–54

45–49

40–44

35–39

30–34

25–29

20–24

15–19

10–14

5–9

0–4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Share of the total population in each age group. Vertical ticks: the United States.

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Age	Men (%)	Women (%)	US men (%)	US women (%)
0-4	2.49	2.36	2.76	2.65
5-9	2.69	2.57	2.96	2.83
10-14	2.93	2.78	3.08	2.95
15-19	3.20	3.02	3.31	3.16
20-24	3.32	3.14	3.43	3.28
25-29	3.04	2.84	3.46	3.37
30-34	3.05	2.90	3.41	3.38
35-39	2.99	2.90	3.38	3.40
40-44	2.99	2.94	3.21	3.27
45-49	3.05	3.05	2.93	3.03
50-54	3.12	3.10	2.83	2.96
55-59	3.10	3.18	2.86	3.02
60-64	3.25	3.46	2.96	3.21
65-69	3.23	3.56	2.75	3.08
70-74	2.86	3.22	2.26	2.64
75-79	2.21	2.55	1.71	2.08
80-84	1.19	1.49	1.00	1.32
85+	0.84	1.40	0.78	1.28

Women in West Virginia do not have unusually few children. The total fertility rate in 2024 was 1.63 births per woman, 2% above the US figure (1.60), and births come earlier: the rate among women aged 25 to 29 is 23% above the US figure (89.5 per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29), while among women 30 to 34 it is 18% below the US figure (93.7 per 1,000 women aged 30 to 34). The general fertility rate, births per 1,000 women of childbearing age, was 54.3 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, 1% above the US figure (53.8 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44)⁴⁴. The birth rate per resident is low because women of childbearing age make up a smaller part of the population. West Virginia has 38.9 residents aged 65 and older for every 100 working-age adults, the 6th highest³³ ratio.

Many churches, few members on their rolls

West Virginia has the third-highest number of congregations per resident, 22.7 per 10,000 residents in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, but only 37.8% of residents were on a congregation's books, lower than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia). Asked as "what percent of West Virginia is Christian", the answer from this source is 37.6%⁴⁵.

Non-denominational churches are the largest body (8.5%), followed by The United Methodist Church (6.2%, in 1,041 congregations) and the Catholic Church. Mainline Protestant churches counted 12.2%, the 5th highest⁴⁵ share. These are the congregations' own counts, and churches that did not report are missing; the religion overview explains such limits.

Shortest lives, highest disability

Life expectancy at birth was 72.2 years in 2022, the shortest in the nation and 5.3 years below the US figure (77.5 years), just below Mississippi (72.6 years). For women it was 75.1 years, the shortest in the nation; for men, 69.5 years, tied for shortest. All three figures are shorter than every bordering state (Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia)⁴⁶.

United States77.5

South Carolina75.1

New Mexico74.5

Arkansas73.9

Alabama73.8

Louisiana73.8

Oklahoma73.8

Tennessee73.8

Kentucky73.6

Mississippi72.6

West Virginia72.2

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. State Life Tables, 2022. Period: 2022.

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State	Life expectancy
United States	77.5
South Carolina	75.1
New Mexico	74.5
Arkansas	73.9
Alabama	73.8
Louisiana	73.8
Oklahoma	73.8
Tennessee	73.8
Kentucky	73.6
Mississippi	72.6
West Virginia	72.2

Several health measures point the same way. 19.0% of residents report a disability, highest among the states (between 1st and 2nd) and 5.3 percentage points above the US figure (13.7%)⁴⁷. Adult obesity, 41.4% in 2024, is the highest of the 49 states and DC with published data, and 20.8% of adults smoke, 9.2 percentage points above the US figure (11.6%)⁴⁸. The age-adjusted drug overdose death rate was 48.9 per 100,000, age-adjusted in 2024, 112% above the US figure (23.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted)⁴⁹.

The fewest adults in the labor force

The same pattern appears in work. In 2025 54.5% of residents aged 16 and older were working or looking for work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the lowest in the nation and 7.9 percentage points below the US figure (62.4%). Among those in the labor force, unemployment was 4.2%, 0.1 percentage points below the US figure (4.3%)⁵⁰: the difference lies in how many adults are outside the labor force, not in how many are looking for a job and not finding one. Veterans make up 7.5% of civilian adults, 1.6 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%)⁵¹, and a third of them, 33.9%⁵², served in the Vietnam era.

Graduation rate first, degree share last

West Virginia's public high schools had the highest four-year graduation rate in the 2021–22 school year among the 48 states and DC with published rates (New Mexico and Oklahoma reported none), 91%, 4.0 percentage points above the US figure (87%)⁵³. Among adults aged 25 and older, though, 24.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the lowest in the nation and 12.7 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%), and 9.9%⁵⁴ hold a graduate or professional degree. The two kinds of figures measure different things: the graduation rate follows recent students in the state's schools, while attainment describes every adult living in the state, wherever they studied.

Maryland45.5% ±0.6

Virginia44.7% ±0.5

United States37.4% ±0.1

Pennsylvania37.1% ±0.4

Ohio32.5% ±0.3

Kentucky28.7% ±0.6

West Virginia24.7% ±0.8

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B15003. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error. Period: 2025.

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State	Bachelor's degree or higher	MOE
Maryland	45.5%	±0.6
Virginia	44.7%	±0.5
United States	37.4%	±0.1
Pennsylvania	37.1%	±0.4
Ohio	32.5%	±0.3
Kentucky	28.7%	±0.6
West Virginia	24.7%	±0.8

Smaller households, more divorced adults

West Virginia had 747,801 households in 2025, with an average of 2.29 people, the 7th smallest⁵⁶ size among the states. 31.6%⁵⁵ of households are one person living alone. Among residents aged 15 and older, 12.8% are divorced, the 2nd highest share (between 1st and 7th), and 7.5% are widowed, 2.0 percentage points above the US figure (5.5%). Fewer adults have never married (29.9%, the 4th lowest⁵⁷ share).