Southeast · Updated October 2026
West Virginia in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,039/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
20.5%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
4.58%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.52%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
98.6
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
78th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where West Virginia stands out: the cheapest two-bedroom rent among the 50 states.
What to weigh: the 3rd highest natural-disaster risk and the 2nd lowest median household income.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 5.5% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 12th lowest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Charleston (Charleston Yeager Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 46°F | 28°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 67°F | 44°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 85°F | 64°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 69°F | 46°F |
$1,048/mo two-bedroom · $844 one-bedroom (Charleston, WV HUD Metro FMR Area)
Charleston is West Virginia's small state capital in a river valley, with government and chemical-industry employment and extremely cheap housing. Green, hilly, and dealing with long-term population decline.
$1,143/mo two-bedroom · $902 one-bedroom (Morgantown, WV MSA)
Morgantown is West Virginia University's town, with a hospital system, a personal-rapid-transit people mover and steep hills. The state's most dynamic small city, cheap, and dominated by students.
$1,006/mo two-bedroom · $864 one-bedroom (Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH HUD Metro FMR Area)
Huntington is an Ohio River city with Marshall University and very low housing costs. It has been hit hard by the opioid crisis and industrial decline, with ongoing recovery efforts.
$1,376/mo two-bedroom · $1,052 one-bedroom (Jefferson County, WV HUD Metro FMR Area)
Shepherdstown is a tiny, historic Eastern Panhandle college town near the Potomac — arts-oriented, walkable, and within commuting distance of the Washington area for those willing to drive.
$1,215/mo two-bedroom · $949 one-bedroom (Martinsburg, WV HUD Metro FMR Area)
Martinsburg is in West Virginia's eastern panhandle, growing as a lower-cost option for people working towards Washington and Baltimore. Commuter rail to DC; historic, with a mixed downtown.
$974/mo two-bedroom · $798 one-bedroom (Parkersburg-Vienna, WV MSA)
Parkersburg is an Ohio River city in west-central West Virginia with chemical manufacturing and a historic downtown. Very cheap, with an economy tied to industry.
$1,009/mo two-bedroom · $822 one-bedroom (Wheeling, WV-OH MSA)
Wheeling is a historic city in the northern panhandle, on the Ohio River, with a suspension bridge older than the Brooklyn Bridge. Very cheap, with fine old buildings and a shrinking population.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. West Virginia’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 4.58% (West Virginia tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 5.5% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,039 a month and a one-bedroom for about $840, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $720 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 98.6 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 47.4 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 20.5% of the state’s median household income of $60,798.
West Virginia recorded 248.8 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 17th lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are flooding. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Virginia’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 78th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Charleston, Morgantown, Huntington, Shepherdstown and Martinsburg. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.