West Virginia

West Virginia covers 24,078 square miles, with a 2016 estimated population of 1,831,102 people – with 700,261 people living in rural areas (USDA-ERS). Charleston is the state capital. The state’s largest cities are Charleston, Huntington and Parkersburg. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 93.6% of the state’s population is white, 3.6% is Black/African-American, and 1.5% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (U.S. Census, 2015).

West Virginia Rural Healthcare Facilities

There are 54 hospitals in West Virginia (Kaiser, 2015), 20 of which are identified as Critical Access Hospitals (Flex Team, 7/2017). There are 53 Rural Health Clinics in West Virginia (CMS, 2017) and 28 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 270 sites in the state (NACHC, 2015).

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural West Virginia

6% of West Virginia residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2015). According to the Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for West Virginia residents in 2015 was $36,758, although rural per-capita income lagged at $33,733. The ERS reports, based on 2015 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural West Virginia is 19.2%, compared with 17.2% in urban areas of the state. 17.6% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 13.4% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2011-2015 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural West Virginia is 7.1%, while in urban West Virginia, it is 5.4% (USDA-ERS, 2016).

Data Sources
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Rural Health Clinic List; Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List; Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts; National Association of Community Health Centers: Key Health Center Data By State; 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.