State comparison
Arkansas vs West Virginia: which state is better to live in?
West Virginia costs a median household about $1,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Arkansas, mostly because its combined sales tax is 6.37% against 9.46%.
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 5 categories
West Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Arkansas vs West Virginia
Arkansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.9%, which works out to 3.6% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,680 a year. West Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.12%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,618 a year. West Virginia wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.60% of home value a year in Arkansas and 0.57% in West Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,170 against $883, so West Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.46% in Arkansas and 6.37% in West Virginia; West Virginia is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,966 a year in Arkansas, $4,927 in West Virginia. West Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arkansas's cost of living index is 85 and West Virginia's is 82, where 100 is the national average; West Virginia is about 4% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $195K in Arkansas and $155K in West Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $40K gap in West Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month in Arkansas and $900 in West Virginia.
Home insurance averages $2,600 a year in Arkansas and $1,100 in West Virginia, so West Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 619 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 278 in West Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); West Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 123% lower. Property crime is 2,469 per 100,000 in Arkansas against 1,380 in West Virginia, again favoring West Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.8 years in Arkansas and 71.9 in West Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.9-year edge for Arkansas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arkansas's health system 44th of 50 and West Virginia's 46th, so Arkansas scores better on care.
9.4% of Arkansas residents have no health insurance against 6.6% in West Virginia, which favors West Virginia. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas's K-12 schools 42nd in the country and West Virginia's 49th, 7 places apart in Arkansas's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points and West Virginia went to Trump by 36 points.
Arkansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; West Virginia has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.00 an hour in Arkansas and $10.12 in West Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Arkansas (tornado, flood) and moderate in West Virginia (flood, ice-storm, tornado), so West Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Arkansas and 44 in West Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring Arkansas.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
5
Arkansas
9
West Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arkansas or West Virginia better to live in?
West Virginia wins more of the measures that decide a move. West Virginia on taxes ($4,927 a year for a median household against $5,966); West Virginia on everyday costs (index 82 against 85); West Virginia on safety (278 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); Arkansas on schools (ranked 42nd against 49th).
Which is cheaper, Arkansas or West Virginia?
West Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 85. The median home is $195K in Arkansas and $155K in West Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes West Virginia saves a median household about $1,000 a year.
Does Arkansas or West Virginia have lower taxes?
West Virginia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,966 a year in Arkansas ($2,680 income tax, $1,170 property tax on the median home and $2,117 in sales tax) and $4,927 in West Virginia ($2,618 income tax, $883 property tax on the median home and $1,425 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arkansas or West Virginia?
West Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 619 per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 278 in West Virginia; property crime is 2,469 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Arkansas or West Virginia?
Arkansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas 42nd of 50 for K-12 and West Virginia 49th.
Is Arkansas or West Virginia better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; West Virginia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,170 a year in Arkansas and $883 in West Virginia.