Median pay · West Virginia
$45,300A year, or $22 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $26,070 | $13 |
| 25th percentile | $31,530 | $15 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $45,300 | $22 |
| 75th percentile | $64,940 | $31 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $98,220 | $47 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $56,470 | $27 |
All occupations combined. Individual occupations vary far more than this figure suggests. The tables below show the spread.
How we got this
- Median wage in West VirginiaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of all wage earners here were paid more than this, half less.$45,300
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$21.78
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$3,111 a month at an effective rate of 17.6%.$37,333 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in West Virginia sit at 89.5 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$50,616
- Against the national medianThe national median is $50,980.11.1% below
- Jobs countedWage and salary jobs; the self-employed are not surveyed.701,610
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
Questions
Pay in West Virginia: common questions
What is the average salary in West Virginia?
$56,470 a year, or $27.15 an hour, across every job the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveyed in West Virginia for May 2025.
The median is lower, $45,300: half of workers earn more and half earn less. The average sits above it because a smaller number of very high salaries pull it up, so the median is closer to what a typical worker makes.
What is a good salary in West Virginia?
Anything over $45,300 pays more than half the jobs in West Virginia. $64,940 puts you in the top quarter and $98,220 in the top 10%.
A single person on the median keeps about $3,111 a month after federal, state and FICA tax.
What are the highest-paying jobs in West Virginia?
By median pay: orthopedic surgeons ($597,740), emergency medicine physicians ($491,230), radiologists ($471,650), pathologists ($400,070) and obstetricians and gynecologists ($300,810). The table on this page lists the top 25.
What are the most common jobs in West Virginia?
By number of jobs: registered nurses ($80,130), retail salespersons ($28,950), home health or personal care aides ($28,010), cashiers ($26,370) and fast food cooks ($23,120), with the median pay for each.