West Virginiaincome tax up to 5.12%, 14th lowest property tax, median home $155K

Worth knowing before you move to West Virginia

West Virginia has some of the lowest home prices in the country, a graduated income tax with rates cut sharply since 2023, and it fully exempts Social Security from tax starting with the 2026 tax year. Property taxes are low. The state has lost population in most years since 2012, and its economy still leans on coal, natural gas and, increasingly, outdoor recreation and remote-worker incentive programs.

What West Virginia taxes, and what it doesn't

West Virginia levies a graduated income tax that tops out at 5.12%. A household earning $75,000 pays an effective 3.5%, about $2,638 a year; at $150,000 the effective rate is 4.0%. Among the 41 states that tax income, West Virginia has the 10th lowest effective rate at $100,000 of income.

Property tax runs 0.57% of home value a year, roughly $883 on the state's median home of $155K. The national effective rate is about 1.10%, and West Virginia has the 14th lowest rate of the 50 states.

Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.37%, the 20th lowest in the country (the state portion is 6%).

For retirees: Social Security benefits are not taxed, pension income is partly exempt, and there is no estate or inheritance tax.

Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income.

Housing and the cost of living in West Virginia

West Virginia's cost of living index is 82, where 100 is the national average; that is the cheapest of the 50 states.

The median home costs $155K, 49% below the national figure and the lowest among the states. A two-bedroom rents for about $900 a month.

Carrying costs matter as much as the price: home insurance averages $1,100 a year, flood coverage adds about $700 where it is needed, car insurance runs $1,400.

Budget $125 a month for electricity and gas, $400 a month in groceries for two, $850 a month for full-time infant care.

Safety, health and schools

Violent crime is 278 incidents per 100,000 residents in the FBI's 2023 Crime Data Explorer figures, below the median state (387); West Virginia is the 12th safest of the 50 by that measure. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000.

Life expectancy is 71.9 years (County Health Rankings 2024). 6.6% of residents have no health insurance, and the state has expanded Medicaid. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks West Virginia's health system 46th of 50.

Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks K-12 schools 49th in the country, and the state runs a school-choice voucher program.

Politics, guns and social policy

Politically, West Virginia is a solidly Republican state that went to Trump by 36 points in 2024.

On guns, no permit is required to carry a concealed handgun, and Giffords grades the state's gun laws F.

Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions. Marijuana is medical only. West Virginia is not a right-to-work state, and the minimum wage is $10.12 an hour.

Climate, risk and getting around

Natural disaster risk is moderate. The main hazards are flood, ice-storm, tornado. Annual average air quality index is 44 (under 50 is good).

West Virginia has no top-25 hub airport, with about 30 nonstop destinations from its busiest airport.