Census-designated place · Monongalia County, West Virginia

Cheat Lake, West Virginia

Cheat Lake is a census-designated place in Monongalia County, West Virginia, part of the Morgantown, WV metro area. It has 10,902 residents. Cheat Lake, West Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 85 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,379 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within West Virginia it ranks #1 of 150 cities and towns. It ranks best on dentists (high), primary care physicians (high) and food insecurity (low). It ranks worst on voter turnout (low), dental care shortage (high) and primary care shortage (high).

85Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,379 of 15,651 cities and towns
West Virginia: #1 of 150 in WV
Population: 10,902 (2020-2024)
Land area: 14 mi²
Density: 760.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 5414775

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety74#4,013/15,637
Economy86#2,229/15,631
Housing59#6,191/14,977
Health67#5,130/15,609
Healthcare73#4,204/15,650
Environment67#5,067/15,453
Education91#1,446/15,649
Infrastructure78#3,453/15,650
Community33#10,530/15,651
Leisure & amenities86#2,122/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cheat Lake, West Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Monongalia County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Dentists · high140 /100k
99/100West Virginia 60 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMonongalia County value
Primary care physicians · high155 /100k
99/100West Virginia 80 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMonongalia County value
Food insecurity · low7.4%
95/100West Virginia 17.2%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Restaurants and bars · high14.5 /10k
94/100West Virginia 8.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMonongalia County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high8.7 /10k
93/100West Virginia 5.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMonongalia County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · high61.8%
93/100West Virginia 24.1%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low48.1%
3/100West Virginia 54.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionMonongalia County value
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100West Virginia 15.5United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMonongalia County value
Primary care shortage · high18.0
5/100West Virginia 14.5United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMonongalia County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,087 /100k
8/100West Virginia 4,063 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMonongalia County value
Depression · high27.1%
10/100West Virginia 31.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
11/100West Virginia 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMonongalia County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
9,251 (2015-2019) → 10,902 (2020-2024)
+18%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
14.7% (2015-2019) → 4.9% (2020-2024)
−9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
53.9% (2015-2019) → 61.8% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
44.4% (2015-2019) → 50.8% (2020-2024)
+6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$89,310 (2015-2019) → $117,014 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
89.9% (2015-2019) → 94.5% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Cheat Lake, West Virginia improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Bachelor's++7.9 points53.9% → 61.8%
Household income+31%$89,310 → $117,014
Broadband+4.6 points89.9% → 94.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Cheat Lake, West Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.3 min2015-2019	23.8 min2020-2024	+1.5 min	Within the margin of error	31%
Bachelor's degree or higher	53.9%2015-2019	61.8%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Improved	83%
Broadband subscriptions	89.9%2015-2019	94.5%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Improved	29%
Effective property tax rate	0.51%2015-2019	0.44%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
High school diploma or higher	94.8%2015-2019	98.0%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	86%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5072015-2019	0.4672020-2024	−0.040	Within the margin of error	79%
Median household income	$89,3102015-2019	$117,0142020-2024	+31%	Improved	58%
Poverty rate	8.4%2015-2019	6.5%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.1%2015-2019	30.4%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Rent-burdened households	44.4%2015-2019	50.8%2020-2024	+6.4 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.3%2015-2019	3.5%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Cheat Lake, West Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cheat Lake, West Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Cheat Lake, West Virginia itself moved +1.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

10,902 residents (±787)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,423 households (±376)

Cheat Lake, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under $25k8.5%†378
$25k–50k10%†456
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,423 households (±376)

Cheat Lake, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Own83%3,678
Rent17%†745

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

5,866 workers (±530)

Cheat Lake, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Drive alone79%4,617
Carpool6.2%†366
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Morgantown, WV

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Monongalia County, the county holding most of Cheat Lake's residents.

Monongalia County has 2,481 employer establishments, 231 for every 10,000 residents (0.93× the US rate of 248; 1.14× West Virginia's), with 50,567 paid employees at an average annual pay of $58,662. The Census Bureau also counts 6,824 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,481; 6,824 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 231; US 248 · West Virginia 202
Paid employees: 50,567
Average annual pay: $58,662; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Monongalia County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	252	23.5	1.28×More than typical	5,244	$20,163	29
Ambulatory health care services	202	18.8	0.90×About typical	6,218	$125,778	381
Lessors of real estate	151	14.1	1.14×About typical	644	$50,054	887
Specialty trade contractors	120	11.2	0.72×Fewer than typical	1,369	$63,304	283
Limited-service restaurants	117	10.9	1.36×More than typical	2,044	$18,442	14
Full-service restaurants	109	10.1	1.32×More than typical	2,781	$22,074	9
Construction of buildings	101	9.4	1.24×About typical	594	$58,640	147
Legal services	68	6.3	1.18×About typical	385	$80,039	107
Religious organizations	66	6.1	1.11×About typical	403	$22,695	—
Offices of physicians	60	5.6	0.86×About typical	3,354	$169,717	112
Services to buildings and dwellings	60	5.6	0.83×About typical	590	$27,224	271
Offices of other health practitioners	56	5.2	0.86×About typical	395	$40,987	204

Rank places for an industry Open Monongalia County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 107,450 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $163.3K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Cheat Lake, West Virginia: $14.98 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $163.3K; +25% vs FY2025
Per resident: $14.98; US $1,994
Sole-source: 64%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$93.9K58%
Federal Bureau of Investigation$36K22%
Department of the Army$18.4K11%
Department of Energy$8,2885.1%
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$6,6444.1%

Top recipients

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CORPORATION$82.3K50%
AGILE5 TECHNOLOGIES INC$36K22%
STERILE SERVICES CO$14.5K8.9%
ORANGE CONSTRUCTION CORP$11.6K7.1%
CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS USA, INC$8,2885.1%

Spending by fiscal year

94.1KFY2017
217KFY2018
131.6KFY2019
58.1KFY2020
80.2KFY2021
63.3KFY2022
114KFY2023
114.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$82.3K50%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$36K22%
Converted paper product manufacturing · 3222$14.5K8.9%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$11.6K7.1%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$8,2885.1%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Cheat Lake, West Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Cheat Lake, West Virginia's figures are part of those of Monongalia County, WV ($413M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Cheat Lake is mostly in Monongalia County.

See federal money in Monongalia County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Cheat Lake, West Virginia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Riley M. MooreR-WV-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Monongalia County69100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Morgantown, WV70

Other cities and towns in Monongalia County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5414775

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends