West Virginia

West Virginia’s capitol city is Charleston, and its current budget is $14.8 Billion..

West Virginia has a total of 4 votes in the Electoral College. Visit West Virginia’s official website.

The Mountain State features Appalachian mountain terrain throughout. Known for coal mining, chemical production, and tourism with rural character.

Political Composition

West Virginia’s politics lean towards the Republican party .

  • Democratic voters: 35%
  • Republican voters: 69%
  • Independent/Other: 1%

Republican supermajorities in both houses; all 3 representatives are Republican. Both senators are Republican. Last voted Democratic for president in 1996.

Demographics

The largest cities in West Virginia include:

  • Charleston with a population of 45515
  • Huntington with a population of 45110
  • Morgantown with a population of 30955
  • Parkersburg with a population of 29286
  • Wheeling with a population of 26744

West Virginia’s population consists of 92.2% white residents, 3.7% black residents, 1.7% hispanic residents. 0.8% asian residents, 0.3% Native American, residents 0.0% Asian Pacific Islander residents, and 1.8% of people claiming two of more races..

West Virginia has an average age of 42.9, with 49.2% of the population being male and 50.8%of the population being female.49.4% of people in West Virginia are married.

86.5% of people West Virginia in have a high school diploma, while 25.3% have attended some college. 20.6% of people have a bachelors degree and 8.9% of people having attained a graduate degree of higher

The state ranks #47 in health and #46 in education. It has a crime rate that averages 302.6 per 100,000 people.

West Virginia Finances

Average Home Price: $129100
Average Rent: $755
Property Tax Rate: 0.58%
Home Ownership Percentage:73.4%
State Minimum Wage:$8.75

West Virginia ranks #49 in the nation’s poverty ranking with 16.0% of residents facing poverty, and a median household income of .$48850

The largest private employer is WVU Medicine, and the largest public employer is State of West Virginia.

Religion

Religion plays a significant role in West Virginia politics, with 77% of residents identifying as Protestant and 6% as Catholic. 0.5% of the state’s residents identify as Muslim, 0.8% identify as Mormon, 0.1% identify as Jewish, and 0.6% claim another religion. However, the state also has a notable non-religious population at 15%.