West Virginia Fact Sheet

This information was compiled from data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau on the USA Quickfacts website (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/54000.html).  Unless otherwise noted, this data is from the 2000 census.

Income

• Median income per West Virginia household is $33,993 (compared to the national median of $44,334) (2004)
• 16.2% of residents live below the poverty level (compared to 12.7% nationally) (2004)
• 21.4% of families with children under 18 live below the poverty level
• 48.8% of female-headed households with children under 18 live below the poverty level
• 18% of residents estimated to be living below the poverty level in 2005.

Education

• 24.8% of residents 25 years or older do not have a high school degree or GED (compared to 19.4% nationally)
• 14.8% of residents 24 years or older have at least a bachelor’s degree (compared to 24.4% nationally)
• 10% of residents 25 years or older have less than a 9th grade education

Employment

• 71.5% of nondisabled West Virginia residents age 21 – 64 are employed
• 23.8% of residents age 21 – 64 have a disability
• 40% of residents age 21 – 64 with a disability are employed
• Average travel time to work for West Virginia residents is 26.2 minutes
• 80.3% of West Virginians drive to work and do not carpool
• 12.7% drive to work and do carpool
• 3.8%  walk or bike to work
• Less than 1% of West Virginians travel to work via public transportation

Race / Ethnicity

• 94.9% of West Virginia residents are Caucasian (compared to 80.4% of the total U.S. population)(2006)
• 3.3% of residents are African American (compared to 12.8% of the total U.S. population)(2006)
• Less than 1% of residents are Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander or of Hispanic origin (2006)
• 1.1% of West Virginia residents were born in another country (compared to 11.1% of the total U.S. population)

Housing

• 75.2% of West Virginia residents own the home they live in (compared to 66.2% nationally)
• Only 52.3% of owner-occupied homes in West Virginia carry a mortgage
• The median mortgage in West Virginia is $713 per month
• 11.9% of home owners pay 35% or more of household income for housing
• The median rent in West Virginia is $401 per month
• 28.3% of renters pay 35% or more of household income for housing
• 1% of homes in West Virginia lack complete plumbing

Health Insurance

• An estimated 13.1% of West Virginia residents do not have health insurance
• As estimated 8.4% of West Virginia children (under 18) do not have health insurance