State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS
West Virginia: County Rent Burden
How much of household income goes to rent in each West Virginia county, FY 2026.
- 21.2%
- State avg 2BR burden
- 2
- Counties over 30% (of 55)
- 0
- Severely burdened (>50%)
What rent burden reveals about West Virginia
Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom, by Census-reported median household income for each county in West Virginia. Across the 55 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 21.2%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning West Virginia sits 0.5 percentage points lower than the US benchmark.
The distribution matters more than the state average. In West Virginia, 2 of 55 counties (4%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is McDowell County at 34.8%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $869 eats that share of the local median income of $29,980. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.
Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability, eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which West Virginia counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between West Virginia and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.
All Counties by Rent Burden
| # | County | 1 BR Rent | 2 BR Rent | 1 BR Burden | 2 BR Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McDowell County | $662 | $869 | 26.5% | 34.8% |
| 2 | Hampshire County | $1,255 | $1,573 | 25% | 31.3% |
| 3 | Clay County | $829 | $1,036 | 23.2% | 29.1% |
| 4 | Mingo County | $696 | $898 | 21.1% | 27.3% |
| 5 | Pocahontas County | $788 | $869 | 23% | 25.3% |
| 6 | Calhoun County | $706 | $869 | 20.5% | 25.2% |
| 7 | Webster County | $662 | $869 | 18.9% | 24.8% |
| 8 | Summers County | $706 | $869 | 19.9% | 24.5% |
| 9 | Braxton County | $665 | $869 | 18% | 23.5% |
| 10 | Roane County | $793 | $869 | 21.1% | 23.1% |
| 11 | Greenbrier County | $735 | $924 | 18.1% | 22.8% |
| 12 | Hardy County | $784 | $932 | 19.1% | 22.7% |
| 13 | Mercer County | $717 | $896 | 18% | 22.5% |
| 14 | Brooke County | $757 | $973 | 17.4% | 22.4% |
| 15 | Upshur County | $732 | $961 | 16.9% | 22.2% |
| 16 | Cabell County | $853 | $973 | 19.4% | 22.1% |
| 17 | Logan County | $793 | $869 | 20.1% | 22.1% |
| 18 | Raleigh County | $719 | $944 | 16.6% | 21.8% |
| 19 | Wyoming County | $748 | $869 | 18.7% | 21.7% |
| 20 | Barbour County | $793 | $869 | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| 21 | Lincoln County | $714 | $869 | 17.6% | 21.5% |
| 22 | Preston County | $877 | $1,099 | 17.1% | 21.5% |
| 23 | Nicholas County | $696 | $869 | 16.9% | 21.2% |
| 24 | Kanawha County | $829 | $1,036 | 16.9% | 21.1% |
| 25 | Wetzel County | $714 | $937 | 16.1% | 21.1% |
| 26 | Monongalia County | $877 | $1,099 | 16.8% | 21% |
| 27 | Wayne County | $853 | $973 | 18.4% | 21% |
| 28 | Fayette County | $697 | $915 | 15.9% | 20.8% |
| 29 | Ritchie County | $662 | $869 | 15.8% | 20.7% |
| 30 | Ohio County | $816 | $991 | 16.9% | 20.6% |
| 31 | Gilmer County | $793 | $869 | 18.7% | 20.5% |
| 32 | Wirt County | $745 | $928 | 16.3% | 20.4% |
| 33 | Randolph County | $708 | $929 | 15.4% | 20.2% |
| 34 | Taylor County | $774 | $953 | 16.4% | 20.1% |
| 35 | Lewis County | $754 | $869 | 17.3% | 19.9% |
| 36 | Wood County | $745 | $928 | 15.9% | 19.8% |
| 37 | Marshall County | $816 | $991 | 16.2% | 19.7% |
| 38 | Harrison County | $843 | $955 | 17.3% | 19.6% |
| 39 | Mason County | $793 | $869 | 17.8% | 19.5% |
| 40 | Tucker County | $699 | $869 | 15.7% | 19.5% |
| 41 | Berkeley County | $971 | $1,233 | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| 42 | Hancock County | $757 | $973 | 14.9% | 19.1% |
| 43 | Monroe County | $706 | $869 | 15.5% | 19.1% |
| 44 | Jackson County | $726 | $869 | 15.6% | 18.7% |
| 45 | Boone County | $674 | $869 | 14.4% | 18.6% |
| 46 | Doddridge County | $754 | $928 | 14.8% | 18.2% |
| 47 | Morgan County | $732 | $961 | 13.8% | 18.1% |
| 48 | Marion County | $838 | $1,007 | 14.9% | 17.9% |
| 49 | Tyler County | $706 | $869 | 14.5% | 17.9% |
| 50 | Pleasants County | $662 | $869 | 13% | 17.1% |
| 51 | Grant County | $662 | $869 | 12.9% | 16.9% |
| 52 | Pendleton County | $706 | $869 | 13.7% | 16.9% |
| 53 | Putnam County | $803 | $1,054 | 12.4% | 16.2% |
| 54 | Jefferson County | $953 | $1,251 | 12% | 15.7% |
| 55 | Mineral County | $695 | $869 | 12.3% | 15.3% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the rent burden in West Virginia? ▼
Which counties in West Virginia are most rent burdened? ▼
How does West Virginia compare to the national average? ▼
Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.