Salary in West Virginia: -15% Below National

West Virginia's economy depends heavily on coal, natural gas, and chemicals, with healthcare and government as the largest stable employers. Tourism around the New River Gorge is a growing sector.

Quick Answer

As of April 2026, salaries in West Virginia run -15% below the US national median. Cost of living index: 90 (vs 100 nationally). State income tax applies. Unemployment rate 4.2%. West Virginia's economy depends heavily on coal, natural gas, and chemicals, with healthcare and government as the largest stable employers. Tourism around the New River Gorge is a growing sector.

Salary Multiplier

0.85×

Cost of Living

Unemployment

4.2%

Income Tax

Yes

Top Industries in West Virginia

Energy (Coal, Gas)HealthcareManufacturingGovernmentTourism

Salaries by Job in West Virginia

50 jobs sorted by West Virginia median salary.

Job	Category	Median	Top 10%
Physician	Healthcare	$194,905	$340,000
AI Engineer	Technology	$157,250	$272,000
Dentist	Healthcare	$145,274	$242,250
Machine Learning Engineer	Technology	$137,700	$250,750
Marketing Manager	Marketing	$134,538	$187,000
Site Reliability Engineer	Technology	$131,750	$217,388
Lawyer	Legal	$123,896	$212,500
Security Engineer	Technology	$120,700	$199,155
Product Manager	Technology	$117,606	$182,750
Pharmacist	Healthcare	$116,858	$140,250
Sales Manager	Sales	$114,886	$187,000
Cloud Engineer	Technology	$114,750	$189,338
Software Engineer	Technology	$112,430	$177,327
DevOps Engineer	Technology	$110,500	$165,750
HR Manager	Human Resources	$110,500	$170,000
Mobile Developer	Technology	$110,500	$182,325
Nurse Practitioner	Healthcare	$109,217	$148,750
Backend Developer	Technology	$108,800	$179,520
Full Stack Developer	Technology	$102,000	$168,300
Cybersecurity Analyst	Technology	$101,881	$148,750
Frontend Developer	Technology	$100,300	$165,495
Electrical Engineer	Engineering	$93,959	$148,750
Scrum Master	Technology	$93,500	$154,275
Data Scientist	Technology	$91,817	$156,477
Supply Chain Manager	Operations	$89,250	$147,263
Operations Manager	Operations	$87,083	$148,750
Financial Analyst	Finance	$84,907	$148,750
Physical Therapist	Healthcare	$84,754	$110,500
Mechanical Engineer	Engineering	$84,584	$130,050
UX Designer	Design	$83,300	$140,250
Occupational Therapist	Healthcare	$81,915	$106,250
Project Manager	Operations	$81,600	$140,250
Financial Planner	Finance	$81,600	$134,640
Civil Engineer	Engineering	$81,507	$122,919
Customer Success Manager	Operations	$80,750	$133,238
Web Developer	Technology	$78,838	$123,250
QA Engineer	Technology	$78,200	$129,030
Business Analyst	Operations	$75,361	$123,250
Content Marketing Manager	Marketing	$74,800	$123,420
Registered Nurse	Healthcare	$73,160	$112,778
Data Analyst	Technology	$71,400	$117,810
Accountant	Finance	$67,898	$112,787
Recruiter	Human Resources	$63,750	$105,188
Executive Assistant	Operations	$61,200	$100,980
Social Media Manager	Marketing	$61,200	$100,980
Copywriter	Marketing	$61,200	$100,980
Teacher	Education	$55,369	$86,887
Paralegal	Legal	$52,700	$86,955
Graphic Designer	Design	$51,196	$80,750
Real Estate Agent	Sales	$48,127	$140,250

Methodology

West Virginia salary figures are computed by adjusting the BLS national median for each job by West Virginia's state-level multiplier of 0.85× — a composite of state-level OEWS data and BEA Regional Price Parities. Last reviewed April 29, 2026.

Data Sources

Other States

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