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