You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in West Virginia.
The median household income in Jefferson County, the richest county in West Virginia is $98,806, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 55 counties in the Mountain State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in West Virginia? The richest county in West Virginia is Jefferson County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is McDowell County, according to the Census data.
$98,806 median income · $392,032 median home price
$80,815 median income · $317,561 median home price
$72,179 median income · $297,948 median home price
$79,527 median income · $243,848 median home price
$65,346 median income · $262,195 median home price
$63,116 median income · $249,557 median home price
$64,931 median income · $214,776 median home price
$69,375 median income · $190,103 median home price
$67,370 median income · $160,437 median home price
$62,361 median income · $185,577 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is West Virginia’s statewide median.
West Virginia statewide median: $59,608
West Virginia statewide median: $174,412
On the map
Where West Virginia’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which West Virginia county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in West Virginia, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in West Virginia for each of the criteria from one to 55, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In West Virginia.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Mountain State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in West Virginia.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In West Virginia
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson County | 59,260 | $98,806 | $392,032 |
| 2 | Berkeley County | 129,514 | $80,815 | $317,561 |
| 3 | Morgan County | 17,426 | $72,179 | $297,948 |
| 4 | Putnam County | 57,177 | $79,527 | $243,848 |
| 5 | Monongalia County | 107,163 | $65,346 | $262,195 |
| 6 | Hampshire County | 23,465 | $63,116 | $249,557 |
| 7 | Pendleton County | 6,043 | $64,931 | $214,776 |
| 8 | Mineral County | 26,854 | $69,375 | $190,103 |
| 9 | Marion County | 55,909 | $67,370 | $160,437 |
| 9 | Grant County | 10,983 | $62,361 | $185,577 |
| 11 | Jackson County | 27,705 | $58,845 | $197,160 |
| 12 | Pleasants County | 7,521 | $60,932 | $163,014 |
| 13 | Taylor County | 16,487 | $57,795 | $185,971 |
| 14 | Wood County | 83,407 | $57,810 | $171,090 |
| 15 | Monroe County | 12,386 | $56,750 | $189,892 |
| 16 | Tucker County | 6,654 | $53,358 | $206,840 |
| 17 | Preston County | 34,160 | $61,880 | $141,559 |
| 17 | Kanawha County | 176,537 | $60,943 | $150,833 |
| 19 | Hancock County | 28,431 | $61,466 | $141,481 |
| 20 | Harrison County | 64,984 | $60,377 | $146,770 |
| 21 | Cabell County | 92,739 | $55,832 | $166,804 |
| 22 | Ohio County | 41,582 | $57,094 | $155,836 |
| 23 | Hardy County | 14,243 | $49,272 | $224,627 |
| 24 | Wayne County | 38,164 | $58,878 | $140,060 |
| 25 | Nicholas County | 24,277 | $54,639 | $157,121 |
| 26 | Tyler County | 8,064 | $63,693 | $116,544 |
| 27 | Greenbrier County | 32,386 | $48,218 | $206,360 |
| 27 | Marshall County | 29,865 | $59,169 | $131,150 |
| 29 | Randolph County | 27,576 | $52,757 | $158,944 |
| 30 | Upshur County | 23,712 | $54,338 | $151,288 |
| 30 | Doddridge County | 7,711 | $57,401 | $133,729 |
| 32 | Raleigh County | 73,195 | $52,150 | $154,732 |
| 33 | Mason County | 25,043 | $49,761 | $158,536 |
| 34 | Lewis County | 16,740 | $56,477 | $131,893 |
| 35 | Mercer County | 58,563 | $53,210 | $140,205 |
| 36 | Pocahontas County | 7,784 | $42,119 | $184,478 |
| 37 | Brooke County | 21,805 | $54,316 | $128,107 |
| 37 | Fayette County | 39,519 | $53,194 | $133,029 |
| 39 | Braxton County | 12,208 | $50,331 | $140,881 |
| 39 | Wetzel County | 14,078 | $56,836 | $115,125 |
| 41 | Boone County | 21,026 | $57,093 | $87,572 |
| 42 | Summers County | 11,729 | $40,699 | $157,266 |
| 43 | Barbour County | 15,424 | $51,394 | $119,829 |
| 44 | Wirt County | 5,053 | $49,867 | $117,804 |
| 45 | Ritchie County | 8,286 | $50,582 | $112,863 |
| 46 | Roane County | 13,786 | $45,778 | $126,879 |
| 47 | Gilmer County | 7,288 | $47,981 | $117,899 |
| 48 | Logan County | 31,418 | $49,723 | $108,155 |
| 49 | Clay County | 7,835 | $42,318 | $121,590 |
| 50 | Lincoln County | 19,902 | $46,205 | $106,984 |
| 51 | Wyoming County | 20,629 | $48,440 | $66,139 |
| 52 | Calhoun County | 6,048 | $43,980 | $100,693 |
| 53 | Webster County | 8,144 | $43,839 | $81,680 |
| 54 | Mingo County | 22,542 | $38,119 | $80,927 |
| 55 | McDowell County | 17,943 | $31,559 | $40,889 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 55 West Virginia counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In West Virginia For 2026
Living in West Virginia can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in West Virginia are Jefferson County, Berkeley County, Morgan County, Putnam County, Monongalia County, Hampshire County, Pendleton County, Mineral County, Marion County, and Grant County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
