For Immediate Release: September 11, 2025
Contact: Sean O’Leary, (304)-400-8899
CHARLESTON, WV — On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the U.S. Census Bureau released national-level poverty, income, and health coverage data for 2024 from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) and today, Sept. 11, the Bureau released state- and local-level data from the American Community Survey (ACS).
The data releases shed light on key economic and social trends at the national, state, county, and city levels. The Census data also tells us how racial and ethnic groups experienced poverty, income growth, and health coverage last year. Some of the Census data may be encouraging, but the massive cuts in the recent Republican megabill – H.R. 1 – will put more people at risk of losing health coverage or falling into (or deeper into) poverty and hardship in coming years. An estimated 55,000-110,000 West Virginians are at risk of losing health coverage, and 33,000 West Virginians are at risk of losing food assistance — making it harder for them to afford groceries, rent, and medical care. This week’s new Census data provides a baseline for tracking health coverage losses in future years.
According to the ACS data, 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.
State policy experts from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy are available for interviews to assist journalists with interpreting West Virginia’s ACS data, including health insurance coverage, poverty rates, local disparities, and long-term trends in the data. For help contextualizing West Virginia’s ACS data, please reach out to Sean O’Leary at soleary@wvpolicy.org.
Find insights into recent poverty trends in West Virginia according to the ACS data in the WVCBP’s new blog post.
See this FAQ document for an explanation of the key differences between the CPS ASEC and ACS.
