McDowell County, West Virginia
Population 17,943 · Welch, Gary, War
- Overall cost of living: −13% vs the US average, lower than 66% of US counties.
- Median home price: $50,000, lower than 99% of US counties.
- Median household income: $31,559, lower than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−13% | lower than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of West Virginia outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $50,000 | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Median rent | $643 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $222/mo | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,120/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.67% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.12% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $337 | lower than 99% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $31,559 | lower than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 9.9% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -15.5% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 119.1 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈179 days | lower than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| January low | 24°F | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈20 in | higher than 60% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Pineville, WV, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈5 days | lower than 90% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Elkhorn, WV, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈120 days | higher than 57% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Elkhorn, WV, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 3.2% of weeks | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.3°F | lower than 56% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 45.9 in | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $353/yr | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $341/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $1.8/yr | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $4.6/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.68/yr | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $1.8/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.1 µg/m³ | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 252.8 mi | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,341.2 ft | higher than 79% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 75.5% | lower than 98% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 6.8% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 2.3% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.9:1 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 82.5% | lower than 82% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 5.62 | lower than 95% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 6.81 | lower than 87% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.39 | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.9 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 28/100k | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 4 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.5★ | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 65.5 yrs | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 9.6% | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 82/100k | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 23/100k | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 37/100k | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 27.7% | lower than 92% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 70 min | higher than 68% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 199 min | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 36 min | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 85.5% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.5% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 4.5% | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 157 min | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 2 per sq mi | lower than 91% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 4.3 per 1k | higher than 85% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 4.1 per 1k | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Population | 17,943 | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Median age | 43.7 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -10.9 per 1k/yr | lower than 94% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 19.1% Dem | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 79.4% Rep | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.5% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % White | 86.5% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 2.1% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Black | 8.8% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.1% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.5% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0% | the lowest in the US |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 25 parks | lower than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 5 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 1.7 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 62 min | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.3% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 8 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 10 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,187 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 6 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 14 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 7 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data