State comparison
Mississippi vs West Virginia: which state is better to live in?
West Virginia costs a median household about $390 a year less in state and local taxes than Mississippi, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $883 a year against $1,152 in Mississippi.
Mississippi
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 3 categories
West Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Mississippi vs West Virginia
Mississippi has a flat 4.7% income tax, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,583 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. Mississippi wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.64% of home value a year in Mississippi and 0.57% in West Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,152 against $883, so West Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.07% in Mississippi 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: $5,317 a year in Mississippi, $4,927 in West Virginia. West Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Mississippi's cost of living index is 82 and West Virginia's is 82, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $180K in Mississippi and $155K in West Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in West Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $950 a month in Mississippi and $900 in West Virginia.
Home insurance averages $2,500 a year in Mississippi and $1,100 in West Virginia, so West Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 283 incidents per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 278 in West Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); West Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 2% lower. Property crime is 2,080 per 100,000 in Mississippi against 1,380 in West Virginia, again favoring West Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 71.9 years in Mississippi and 71.9 in West Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024). The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Mississippi's health system 47th of 50 and West Virginia's 46th, so West Virginia scores better on care.
16.8% of Mississippi residents have no health insurance against 6.6% in West Virginia, which favors West Virginia. West Virginia expanded Medicaid and Mississippi did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi's K-12 schools 50th in the country and West Virginia's 49th, 1 places apart in West Virginia's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Mississippi went to Trump by 17 points and West Virginia went to Trump by 36 points.
Mississippi 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 $7.25 an hour in Mississippi and $10.12 in West Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Mississippi (hurricane, 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 32 in Mississippi and 44 in West Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring Mississippi.
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
3
Mississippi
9
West Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Mississippi 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 $5,317); West Virginia on safety (278 violent crimes per 100,000 against 283); West Virginia on schools (ranked 49th against 50th).
Which is cheaper, Mississippi or West Virginia?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 82. The median home is $180K in Mississippi and $155K in West Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes West Virginia saves a median household about $390 a year.
Does Mississippi or West Virginia have lower taxes?
West Virginia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,317 a year in Mississippi ($2,583 income tax, $1,152 property tax on the median home and $1,582 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, Mississippi or West Virginia?
West Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 283 per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 278 in West Virginia; property crime is 2,080 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Mississippi or West Virginia?
West Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi 50th of 50 for K-12 and West Virginia 49th.
Is Mississippi or West Virginia better for retirees?
Mississippi is friendlier to retirees on paper. Mississippi does not tax Social Security, 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 $1,152 a year in Mississippi and $883 in West Virginia.