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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 40 largest places in West Virginia, Cheat Lake has the lowest share of income going to rent (11.5%), followed by Teays Valley and Bridgeport. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 40 places in West Virginia that we cover, the median is 19.4% and the average 18.6%; the figure runs from 11.5% (Cheat Lake) to 25.1% (Morgantown). That is a spread of 2.2 times between the two ends.
The first five are Cheat Lake, Teays Valley, Bridgeport, New Martinsville, Pinch. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Yearly rent as share of income ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheat Lake (unincorporated) | Monongalia County | 11.5% | 10,902 | $117,014 | $1,124 |
| 2 | Teays Valley (unincorporated) | Putnam County | 12.2% | 14,151 | $108,741 | $1,102 |
| 3 | Bridgeport | Harrison County | 13.3% | 9,252 | $100,022 | $1,105 |
| 4 | New Martinsville | Wetzel County | 13.5% | 5,133 | $60,946 | $688 |
| 5 | Pinch (unincorporated) | Kanawha County | 14.3% | 4,037 | $76,741 | $916 |
| 6 | Hurricane | Putnam County | 14.8% | 6,855 | $71,167 | $878 |
| 7 | Brookhaven (unincorporated) | Monongalia County | 15.0% | 6,212 | $88,438 | $1,104 |
| 8 | Charles Town | Jefferson County | 15.0% | 7,337 | $89,263 | $1,115 |
| 9 | Weirton | Hancock County | 15.0% | 18,647 | $59,575 | $746 |
| 10 | Grafton | Taylor County | 15.2% | 4,618 | $40,402 | $512 |
| 11 | South Charleston | Kanawha County | 15.9% | 13,457 | $63,884 | $844 |
| 12 | Vienna | Wood County | 16.1% | 10,518 | $60,388 | $809 |
| 13 | Charleston | Kanawha County | 16.6% | 47,421 | $65,812 | $908 |
| 14 | Keyser | Mineral County | 16.6% | 4,857 | $46,955 | $648 |
| 15 | Fairmont | Marion County | 17.4% | 18,221 | $63,032 | $916 |
| 16 | Weston | Lewis County | 17.7% | 3,840 | $52,070 | $770 |
| 17 | Cross Lanes (unincorporated) | Kanawha County | 17.9% | 9,671 | $63,537 | $949 |
| 18 | Pea Ridge (unincorporated) | Cabell County | 18.5% | 6,988 | $65,811 | $1,014 |
| 19 | Parkersburg | Wood County | 19.2% | 29,240 | $49,025 | $785 |
| 20 | Dunbar | Kanawha County | 19.2% | 7,254 | $58,379 | $935 |
| 21 | Oak Hill | Fayette County | 19.4% | 7,937 | $52,466 | $847 |
| 22 | Buckhannon | Upshur County | 19.4% | 5,116 | $54,615 | $885 |
| 23 | Bluefield | Mercer County | 19.5% | 9,387 | $49,375 | $804 |
| 24 | Wheeling | Ohio County | 19.6% | 26,350 | $48,590 | $794 |
| 25 | Point Pleasant | Mason County | 19.9% | 3,961 | $37,563 | $624 |
| 26 | Clarksburg | Harrison County | 20.0% | 15,549 | $47,386 | $790 |
| 27 | Westover | Monongalia County | 20.2% | 4,026 | $60,769 | $1,025 |
| 28 | Moundsville | Marshall County | 20.4% | 7,869 | $49,048 | $834 |
| 29 | Princeton | Mercer County | 20.4% | 5,736 | $43,900 | $747 |
| 30 | Barboursville | Cabell County | 20.5% | 4,376 | $60,571 | $1,037 |
| 31 | Ranson corporation | Jefferson County | 20.6% | 5,729 | $89,523 | $1,536 |
| 32 | St. Albans | Kanawha County | 20.7% | 10,522 | $53,972 | $931 |
| 33 | Nitro | Kanawha County | 21.1% | 6,853 | $53,848 | $949 |
| 34 | Lewisburg | Greenbrier County | 21.6% | 3,835 | $49,560 | $893 |
| 35 | Beckley | Raleigh County | 22.8% | 16,818 | $45,826 | $869 |
| 36 | Martinsburg | Berkeley County | 23.2% | 18,904 | $59,555 | $1,150 |
| 37 | Huntington | Cabell County | 24.3% | 45,787 | $45,100 | $912 |
| 38 | Elkins | Randolph County | 24.5% | 6,811 | $44,217 | $903 |
| 39 | Ravenswood | Jackson County | 25.0% | 3,830 | $34,241 | $714 |
| 40 | Morgantown | Monongalia County | 25.1% | 30,236 | $44,727 | $937 |
Largest Cities · Cities With the Cheapest Rent · Cities With the Highest Household Income · Cities With the Lowest Unemployment · Cities in the Highest-Paying Counties · Most College-Educated Cities · Cities With the Most Homeowners · Cities With the Most Remote Work · Cities With the Shortest Commutes
Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Cheat Lake, with 11.5% (among the 40 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 40 largest places in West Virginia by population.