West Virginia

West Virginia covers 24,078 square miles, with a 2017 estimated population of 1,815,857 people – with 693,506 people living in rural areas (USDA-ERS). Charleston is the state capital. The state’s largest cities are Charleston, Huntington and Parkersburg. According to 2017 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 93.6% of the state’s population is white, 3.6% is African-American, 0.8% is Asian, 0.2% is American Indian or Alaska Native, and 1.6% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

West Virginia Rural Healthcare Facilities

According to data.HRSA.gov, as of July 2018 West Virginia had:

• 20 Critical Access Hospitals
• 50 Rural Health Clinics
• 253 Federally Qualified Health Centers located outside of Urbanized Areas
• 15 short term hospitals located outside of Urbanized Areas

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural West Virginia

6% of West Virginia residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2017). According to the Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for West Virginia residents in 2016 was $36,624, although rural per capita income lagged at $33,306. The ERS reports, based on 2017 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural West Virginia is 20.8%, compared with 18.0% in urban areas of the state. 17.3% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 12.9% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2012-2016 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural West Virginia is 5.9%, while in urban West Virginia, it is 4.8% (USDA-ERS, 2017).

Data Sources
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts; U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts; USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets

Contacts

There are more organizations related to West Virginia in the organizations section.