State comparison
West Virginia vs Colorado: which state is better to live in?
West Virginia costs a median household about $1,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $883 a year against $2,616 in Colorado.
West Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 10 categories
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: West Virginia vs Colorado
West Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.12%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,723 a year. Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.57% of home value a year in West Virginia and 0.48% in Colorado (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $883 against $2,616, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.37% in West Virginia and 7.76% in Colorado; West Virginia is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,031 a year in West Virginia, $7,634 in Colorado. 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 Colorado's is 110, where 100 is the national average; West Virginia is about 34% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $155K in West Virginia and $545K in Colorado (Zillow, 2024), a $390K gap in West Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $900 a month in West Virginia and $1,850 in Colorado.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in West Virginia and $2,800 in Colorado, so West Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 278 incidents per 100,000 residents in West Virginia and 453 in Colorado (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); West Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 63% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in West Virginia against 2,859 in Colorado, again favoring West Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 71.9 years in West Virginia and 78.8 in Colorado (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 6.9-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks West Virginia's health system 46th of 50 and Colorado's 9th, so Colorado scores better on care.
6.6% of West Virginia residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Colorado, 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 Colorado's 9th, 40 places apart in Colorado's favor. West Virginia runs a school-choice voucher program; Colorado does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election West Virginia went to Trump by 36 points and Colorado went to Harris by 11 points.
West Virginia has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and West Virginia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in West Virginia and protected by state law in Colorado, and marijuana is medical only in West Virginia and legal for adults in Colorado as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.12 an hour in West Virginia and $14.42 in Colorado.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in West Virginia (flood, ice-storm, tornado) and high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado), so West Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 44 in West Virginia and 50 in Colorado (under 50 is good), favoring West Virginia.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
10
West Virginia
5
Colorado
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is West Virginia or Colorado better to live in?
West Virginia wins more of the measures that decide a move. West Virginia on taxes ($6,031 a year for a median household against $7,634); West Virginia on everyday costs (index 82 against 110); West Virginia on safety (278 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 49th).
Which is cheaper, West Virginia or Colorado?
West Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 110. The median home is $155K in West Virginia and $545K in Colorado (2024). On state and local taxes West Virginia saves a median household about $1,600 a year.
Does West Virginia or Colorado have lower taxes?
West Virginia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,031 a year in West Virginia ($3,723 income tax, $883 property tax on the median home and $1,425 in sales tax) and $7,634 in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, West Virginia or Colorado?
West Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 278 per 100,000 residents in West Virginia and 453 in Colorado; property crime is 1,380 against 2,859.
Which has better schools, West Virginia or Colorado?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks West Virginia 49th of 50 for K-12 and Colorado 9th. West Virginia also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is West Virginia or Colorado better for retirees?
West Virginia is friendlier to retirees on paper. West Virginia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Colorado taxes 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 $2,616 in Colorado.