More than one in seven West Virginians (286,737 residents) lived in poverty in 2024, including over 73,000 children, according to new estimates out today from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey. West Virginia’s official poverty rate in 2024 was 16.7 percent, unchanged from 2023. West Virginia’s poverty rate was 4.6 percentage points higher than the national rate of 12.1 percent and the fourth highest poverty rate among the 50 states and D.C.
After falling to 20.1 percent in 2023, child poverty in West Virginia increased to 21.6 percent in 2024. With the increase, West Virginia had the fifth highest child poverty rate in the country.
Median household income in West Virginia rose to $60,798, up from $55,948 in 2023. Median household income measures the income of the typical household – or the household in the middle of the income distribution – and serves as a good indicator for how the middle class is faring. Despite the increase, West Virginia still ranked 50th out of the 50 states and D.C. for median household income and was $20,806 below the national average of $81,604.
Other highlights from the 2024 American Community Survey include the poverty rate for Black West Virginians falling to 22.3 percent, although nearly six percentage points higher the overall poverty rate. The poverty rate for seniors rose in 2024 to 12.9 percent. Poverty was lowest for those West Virginians with at least a bachelor’s degree at 5.2 percent, while those who had not completed high school had the highest poverty rate at 31.1 percent. The poverty rate for men was lower than the poverty rate for women, at 14.8 percent compared to 18.6 percent.
Policy choices that reduce poverty — or allow poverty to surge — matter. With poverty highest among children, Black West Virginians, and those without higher levels of education, addressing poverty within these categories should be a top priority in the state. Policies like a state-level child tax credit, affordable higher education, and increasing the state minimum wage all would help continue to reduce West Virginia’s high levels of poverty.
