West Virginia migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 36,521 people moved into West Virginia and 33,384 moved out, a net of +3,137. Drag the year slider to watch the trend, hover any state to see the corridor, or click through to explore it.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
Population · 2025
1,766,147
▼ 0.1% year over year · shrinking
Peak population · 1950
2,005,552
11.9% below the 1950 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: the population fell in 2025 despite domestic gains (+6,408). Births minus deaths (−7,887) and international migration (+244) outweighed them.
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 2,005,552 in 1950. The 2025 estimate of 1,766,147 is 11.9% below that.
Net income flow · 2022–23
+$11M
▲ $1.2B arrived · $1.2B left
Avg household income · movers
$58k in · $61k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 5%
West Virginia wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into West Virginia in 2022–23 reported $1.2B in income (AGI). Households leaving took $1.2B with them, a net gain of $11M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $58k of income, vs $61k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 5%.
Drill into a metro
IRS data goes deeper than states. Pick a metro to see its own corridors.
About the data
Migration figures come from the official IRS state-to-state files (exemptions ≈ people). Population figures are Census Bureau estimates, and the peak checks every census back to 1910. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported in the same IRS files. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details, caveats, and a suggested citation on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
Every year, thousands of people move to West Virginia
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