What is the poverty rate in West Virginia?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 16% of West Virginia’s population as of 2025. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2025, 274,200 people in West Virginia were considered in poverty.
16%
of the population (2025)
274K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 16% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.7 percentage points lower than the previous year. West Virginia's poverty rate hit a peak in 2017 of 19.1%.
In 2025, 16% of West Virginia's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2025, 274,200 people living in West Virginia were in poverty — down 18.5% from the 2017 peak of 336,300.
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In 2025, 274,200 people in West Virginia were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in West Virginia?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in West Virginia decreased from 25.2% to 19%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 18.3% to 16.1%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 8.5% to 13.3%.
In 2025, 19% of children in West Virginia were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in West Virginia?
Among racial or ethnic groups in West Virginia during 2025, two had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: Black or African American and two or more races
Four had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population shifted the most, decreasing from 23.3% in 2015 to 9.6% in 2025.
In West Virginia, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population decreased from 23.3% in 2015 to 9.6% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in West Virginia have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among West Virginia counties ranged from 8.7% in Jefferson County to 34.2% in McDowell County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Kanawha County — was 15.7%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among West Virginia counties ranged from 8.7% to 34.2%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | McDowell County | 34.2% |
| 2. | Calhoun County | 32.9% |
| 3. | Mingo County | 32.4% |
| 4. | Clay County | 26.4% |
| 5. | Summers County | 23.8% |
| 6. | Webster County | 23.3% |
| 7. | Lincoln County | 23.2% |
| 8. | Raleigh County | 22.8% |
| 9. | Wyoming County | 22.6% |
| 10. | Pocahontas County | 22.5% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
