Charles Town, Bridgeport, Hurricane: These cities aren’t just some of the best places to live in West Virginia. They are also home to some of the richest people in the Mountain State.
Charles Town in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $89,263 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 6.492411467116358%.
If you’re thinking of moving to one of these towns, you’ll probably need to start saving. The richest places in West Virginia share common characteristics such as having a genius level populous, sky high home prices, and a Pleasantville level of married couples.
How did we come up with these mega wealthy cities? We analyzed Census data from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey for the 37 places in West Virginia with more than 3,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In West Virginia For 2026
For more on how we calculated the top ten, read on or skip to the end for the full list of the richest cities in West Virginia.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about West Virginia:
The 10 Richest Cities In West Virginia For 2026
1. Charles Town
/10
Population: 7,337
Median Income: $89,263
Median Home Values: $400,662
More on Charles Town: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
2. Bridgeport
/10
Population: 9,252
Median Income: $100,022
Median Home Values: $297,306
More on Bridgeport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
3. Hurricane
/10
Population: 6,855
Median Income: $71,167
Median Home Values: $269,184
More on Hurricane: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Pleasant Valley
/10
Population: 3,482
Median Income: $67,635
Median Home Values: $203,733
More on Pleasant Valley: Data | Movers
5. Martinsburg
/10
Population: 18,904
Median Income: $59,555
Median Home Values: $307,800
More on Martinsburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
6. Barboursville
/10
7. Fairmont
/10
Population: 18,221
Median Income: $63,032
Median Home Values: $185,554
More on Fairmont: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
8. Westover
/10
Population: 4,026
Median Income: $60,769
Median Home Values: $189,260
More on Westover: Data | Movers
9. South Charleston
/10
Population: 13,457
Median Income: $63,884
Median Home Values: $167,047
More on South Charleston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. Charleston
/10
Population: 47,421
Median Income: $65,812
Median Home Values: $163,657
More on Charleston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In West Virginia For 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 37 places with more than 3,000 people in West Virginia, we ranked each place from 1 to 37 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Charles Town, crowned the “Richest City In West Virginia For 2026.”
The data has been updated for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the wealthiest cities in West Virginia.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 37 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In West Virginia For 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in West Virginia, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in West Virginia.
The richest cities in West Virginia are Charles Town, Bridgeport, Hurricane, Pleasant Valley, Martinsburg, Barboursville, Fairmont, Westover, South Charleston, and Charleston.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in West Virginia, according to data:
Poorest: Welch
2nd Poorest: Grafton
3rd Poorest: Clarksburg
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In West Virginia
- Safest Places In West Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In West Virginia
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Town | 1.5 | $89,263 | $400,662 |
| 2 | Bridgeport | 2.5 | $100,022 | $297,306 |
| 3 | Hurricane | 4.5 | $71,167 | $269,184 |
| 4 | Pleasant Valley | 6.5 | $67,635 | $203,733 |
| 5 | Martinsburg | 7.5 | $59,555 | $307,800 |
| 6 | Barboursville | 8.5 | $60,571 | $210,950 |
| 7 | Fairmont | 9.5 | $63,032 | $185,554 |
| 8 | Westover | 9.5 | $60,769 | $189,260 |
| 9 | South Charleston | 11.0 | $63,884 | $167,047 |
| 10 | Charleston | 12.0 | $65,812 | $163,657 |
| 11 | Vienna | 12.0 | $60,388 | $183,598 |
| 12 | Lewisburg | 12.0 | $49,560 | $297,776 |
| 13 | Summersville | 13.0 | $56,571 | $188,560 |
| 14 | Morgantown | 17.5 | $44,727 | $280,205 |
| 15 | Buckhannon | 18.5 | $54,615 | $156,488 |
| 16 | Weirton | 19.0 | $59,575 | $147,088 |
| 17 | New Martinsville | 19.5 | $60,946 | $136,698 |
| 18 | St. Albans | 20.0 | $53,972 | $148,169 |
| 19 | Ripley | 20.5 | $41,518 | $204,494 |
| 20 | Oak Hill | 20.5 | $52,466 | $150,325 |
| 21 | Keyser | 21.0 | $46,955 | $173,915 |
| 22 | Nitro | 23.5 | $53,848 | $140,562 |
| 23 | Dunbar | 23.5 | $58,379 | $123,692 |
| 24 | Wheeling | 24.5 | $48,590 | $148,166 |
| 25 | Princeton | 24.5 | $43,900 | $166,769 |
| 26 | Parkersburg | 24.5 | $49,025 | $147,802 |
| 27 | Elkins | 24.5 | $44,217 | $166,142 |
| 28 | Ravenswood | 25.0 | $34,241 | $179,945 |
| 29 | Weston | 27.0 | $52,070 | $123,433 |
| 30 | Moundsville | 27.5 | $49,048 | $124,991 |
| 31 | Point Pleasant | 27.5 | $37,563 | $161,561 |
| 32 | Beckley | 27.5 | $45,826 | $146,482 |
| 33 | Bluefield | 29.0 | $49,375 | $105,764 |
| 34 | Huntington | 29.5 | $45,100 | $139,631 |
| 35 | Clarksburg | 30.5 | $47,386 | $114,206 |
| 36 | Grafton | 31.0 | $40,402 | $141,606 |
| 37 | Welch | 37.0 | $32,969 | $47,895 |