Preston County, West Virginia
Population 34,160 · Kingwood, Terra Alta, Reedsville
- Overall cost of living: −6.7% vs the US average, higher than 73% of US counties.
- Annual snowfall: 118 in, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 403.4/100k, higher than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−6.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Morgantown, WV metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $162,800 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Median rent | $750 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $142/mo | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $9,248/yr | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.49% | lower than 84% 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 | $793 | lower than 86% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $61,880 | lower than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -2.4% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 146.5 | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈159 days | lower than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 80°F | lower than 90% of US counties |
| January low | 20°F | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈118 in | higher than 99% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Bayard, WV, 23 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈1 days | lower than 97% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Bayard, WV, 23 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈163 days | higher than 83% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Bayard, WV, 23 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 1.3% of weeks | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈61°F | lower than 62% 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 | 52.7 in | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $129/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $120/yr | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $1.4/yr | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.63/yr | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $2.3/yr | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.12/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.7 µg/m³ | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 139.4 mi | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,787.8 ft | higher than 83% 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 | 86.2% | lower than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 17.5% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 6.4% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.1:1 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 83% | lower than 81% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 6.6 | lower than 84% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.08 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.58 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.3 | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 44/100k | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 5 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.7★ | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 74.2 yrs | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 8.6% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 47/100k | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 26/100k | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 403.4/100k | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 45.3% | lower than 78% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 40 min | lower than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 110 min | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 31 min | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.4% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 8.6% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 95 min | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 6 per sq mi | lower than 80% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.3 per 1k | higher than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 3.6 per 1k | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Population | 34,160 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Median age | 43.3 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +3.6 per 1k/yr | higher than 56% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 20.5% Dem | lower than 72% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 77.5% Rep | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.1% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| % White | 87.3% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 1.9% | lower than 86% of US counties |
| % Black | 6.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.4% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.5% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 46 parks | lower than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 7.3 | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.8 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 16 min | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.4% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 23 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 27 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,019 km | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 29 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 44 | higher than 71% 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 | 30 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 54 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 22 km | higher than 61% of US counties |
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