Jobs, pay and daily life in Hurricane, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Hurricane is a city in West Virginia with 6,855 residents. The median household earns $71,167 a year and the median rent is $878 a month, which is 14.8% of the median household income. It is part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metropolitan area, where BLS counts 140,740 jobs.
How Hurricane compares. Among the 40 largest places in West Virginia, Hurricane is #24 by population, #8 for household income (#1 = highest), #10 for college degrees (#1 = most), #30 for long commutes (#1 = fewest). Its county, Putnam County, is #5 of 55 counties for average pay ($64,360).
Hurricane has 6,855 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.4% of the population of West Virginia. It covers 4 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,846 people per square mile. The median age is 41.2, 4% younger than the state median (41.2 against 42.7).
The median gross rent is $878 a month (rent plus utilities), about the same as the state median ($878 against $872). Over a year that is 14.8% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $210,500, which is 3.0 times the median household income ($71,167); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 67.3% of households own their home, 10% below the state average (67.3% against 74.9%).
The Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metropolitan area has 140,740 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $44,600 a year, 13% below the national median ($44,600 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (16,720 jobs, median $38,830); healthcare practitioners and technical (15,270 jobs, median $80,020); food preparation and serving related (13,550 jobs, median $26,840). The area is most specialised in healthcare practitioners and technical (1.7 times) and construction and extraction (1.3 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($88,400) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($80,020). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Putnam County was 2.9%. 62.3% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Putnam County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 83.6% drive alone, 0.0% use public transit, 0.3% walk, 11.3% work from home. 11.8% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 32% below the state average (11.8% against 17.5%).
37.5% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 56% above the state share (37.5% against 24.1%). 2.7% of residents were born outside the United States, 50% above the state share (2.7% against 1.8%). The poverty rate is 8.5%, 49% below the state rate (8.5% against 16.7%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 76°F (24.5°C), and the coolest is Jan at 32°F (-0.1°C). About 1,130 mm (44 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (126 mm) and Jan the driest (76 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Teays Valley (5 miles, rent 26% higher); St. Albans (11 miles, rent 6% higher); Nitro (11 miles, rent 8% higher); Cross Lanes (13 miles, rent 8% higher). Rent differences are against Hurricane; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in West Virginia (239) →State guide: West VirginiaCountry guidePutnam CountyWest Virginia rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 239 federal postings open in West Virginia (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in West Virginia →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 5,580 | 1.82 | $81,010 | $62,810 | $124,650 | -17% |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,290 | 1.22 | $28,220 | $21,640 | $37,720 | -20% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 3,620 | 0.93 | $28,740 | $23,270 | $39,790 | -20% |
| Cashiers | 3,510 | 1.25 | $27,080 | $21,460 | $32,260 | -18% |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,310 | 1.04 | $77,350 | $41,330 | $168,240 | -27% |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 3,070 | 5.29 | $22,610 | $21,010 | $27,680 | -27% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,590 | 0.74 | $23,500 | $21,470 | $32,610 | -25% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,590 | 1.10 | $38,060 | $28,830 | $54,580 | -15% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,400 | 0.94 | $30,980 | $26,810 | $40,770 | -17% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,340 | 1.05 | $36,700 | $22,260 | $53,230 | -18% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,330 | 1.25 | $50,050 | $35,560 | $74,110 | -15% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,240 | 0.84 | $36,120 | $27,850 | $48,090 | -10% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,950 | 1.48 | $37,140 | $29,600 | $45,400 | -12% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,840 | 0.92 | $30,130 | $23,770 | $44,960 | -18% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,720 | 0.84 | $30,690 | $18,200 | $59,010 | -13% |
| Construction Laborers | 1,580 | 1.60 | $45,170 | $30,690 | $66,990 | -4% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,550 | 1.24 | $42,720 | $31,630 | $60,010 | -16% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,510 | 0.98 | $38,280 | $29,060 | $56,630 | -19% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 1,510 | 1.49 | $36,880 | $27,870 | $65,990 | -24% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 1,480 | 1.34 | $31,070 | $27,570 | $49,000 | -30% |
These figures are for the whole Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $44,600 (US $50,980); unemployment 4.1% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 29.1% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 12.2% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 12.2% |
| Retail trade | 12.0% |
| Manufacturing | 8.2% |
| Construction | 6.8% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 5.4% |
| Other services | 5.0% |
| Public administration | 4.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.3% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 1.8% |
| Information | 1.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.0% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Hurricane lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County | 57,177 | $3,832 million | $67,015 | 21,217 | 1,894 | $64,360 | +4.1% | 2.9% | 27,165 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,182 | 16.8% | $85,778 | 1.83 |
| Construction | 2,689 | 14.2% | $82,682 | 2.41 |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,633 | 13.9% | $56,343 | 0.87 |
| Retail trade | 2,290 | 12.1% | $39,017 | 1.08 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,679 | 8.8% | $20,501 | 0.87 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,173 | 6.2% | $84,885 | 1.40 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,054 | 5.6% | $56,896 | 0.84 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,051 | 5.5% | $74,376 | 0.71 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 804 | 4.2% | $74,736 | 0.89 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 499 | 2.6% | $57,746 | 0.78 |
| Finance and insurance | 463 | 2.4% | $86,019 | 0.54 |
| Utilities | 398 | 2.1% | $125,079 | 4.93 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 291 | 1.5% | $16,330 | 0.82 |
| Management of companies | 288 | 1.5% | $78,977 | 0.81 |
| Information | 180 | 0.9% | $77,065 | 0.45 |
| Real estate and rental | 178 | 0.9% | $47,024 | 0.54 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 91 | 0.5% | $27,606 | 0.53 |
| Educational services | 36 | 0.2% | $41,092 | 0.08 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 8 | 0.0% | $138,161 | 0.10 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 83.6% |
| Public transit | 0.0% |
| Walk | 0.3% |
| Work from home | 11.3% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 11.8% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $71,167 |
| Income per person | $40,576 |
| Median gross rent per month | $878 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 14.8% |
| Median home value | $210,500 |
| Homeowners | 67.3% |
| Poverty rate | 8.5% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 88.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $44,600 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 4.82%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 41.2 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 96.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 37.5% |
| Born abroad | 2.7% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 62.3% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0.1 | 32 | 76 |
| Feb | 1.3 | 34 | 84 |
| Mar | 6.4 | 44 | 91 |
| Apr | 12.7 | 55 | 101 |
| May | 17.9 | 64 | 118 |
| Jun | 22.3 | 72 | 106 |
| Jul | 24.5 | 76 | 126 |
| Aug | 24.4 | 76 | 85 |
| Sep | 20.8 | 69 | 84 |
| Oct | 13.7 | 57 | 89 |
| Nov | 7.0 | 45 | 76 |
| Dec | 2.2 | 36 | 94 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teays Valley | WV | 5 mi | 14,151 | $108,741 | $1,102 |
| St. Albans | WV | 11 mi | 10,522 | $53,972 | $931 |
| Nitro | WV | 11 mi | 6,853 | $53,848 | $949 |
| Cross Lanes | WV | 13 mi | 9,671 | $63,537 | $949 |
| Barboursville | WV | 15 mi | 4,376 | $60,571 | $1,037 |
| Dunbar | WV | 16 mi | 7,254 | $58,379 | $935 |
| Pea Ridge | WV | 16 mi | 6,988 | $65,811 | $1,014 |
| South Charleston | WV | 18 mi | 13,457 | $63,884 | $844 |
| Charleston | WV | 22 mi | 47,421 | $65,812 | $908 |
| Huntington | WV | 23 mi | 45,787 | $45,100 | $912 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
6,855 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$878 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 14.8% of the median household income.
$71,167 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
2.9% (BLS county, Putnam County (latest month 2026M09)).
West Virginia. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.