Town · Doddridge County, West Virginia

West Union, West Virginia

West Union is a town in Doddridge County, West Virginia, part of the Clarksburg, WV metro area. It has 1,039 residents. West Union, West Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 16 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,186 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within West Virginia it ranks #111 of 150 cities and towns. It ranks best on suicide rate (low), firearm deaths (low) and property crime rate (low). It ranks worst on mental health providers (low), depression (high) and access to exercise opportunities (low).

16Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,186 of 15,651 cities and towns
West Virginia: #111 of 150 in WV
Population: 1,039 (2020-2024)
Land area: 0 mi²
Density: 2,884.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 5486116

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 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.

Safety66#5,347/15,637
Economy31#10,848/15,631
Housing72#4,202/14,977
Health21#12,260/15,609
Healthcare13#13,692/15,650
Environment27#11,289/15,453
Education27#11,465/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,962/15,650
Community14#13,394/15,651
Leisure & amenities5#14,842/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where West Union, West Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Doddridge 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

Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100West Virginia 18.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataDoddridge County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100West Virginia 16.0 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataDoddridge County value
Property crime rate · low338 /100k
95/100West Virginia 1,053 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationDoddridge County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.6×
95/100West Virginia 2.7×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077High uncertainty
Public libraries · high2.6 /10k
94/100West Virginia 1.0 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesDoddridge County value
Job growth · high3.2%
94/100West Virginia -0.4%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataDoddridge County value

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low13 /100k
0/100West Virginia 216 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDoddridge County value
Depression · high33.0%
1/100West Virginia 31.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Access to exercise opportunities · low15.8%
1/100West Virginia 58.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDoddridge County value
Frequent mental distress · high24.4%
1/100West Virginia 23.4%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Voter turnout · low45.3%
1/100West Virginia 54.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionDoddridge County value
Primary care physicians · low13 /100k
2/100West Virginia 80 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDoddridge County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
647 (2015-2019) → 1,039 (2020-2024)
+61%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
58.5% (2015-2019) → 85.6% (2020-2024)
+27 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
1.3% (2015-2019) → 13.5% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
10.5% (2015-2019) → 18.9% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,500 (2015-2019) → $60,417 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
13.0% (2015-2019) → 7.8% (2020-2024)
−5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, West Union, West Virginia improved on 1 of 7 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 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.

Improved1

Broadband+27 points58.5% → 85.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 7 measures

Change of every measure of West Union, West Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Broadband subscriptions	58.5%2015-2019	85.6%2020-2024	+27 points	Improved	97%
High school diploma or higher	82.2%2015-2019	81.8%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4842015-2019	0.4712020-2024	−0.014	Within the margin of error	63%
Median household income	$45,5002015-2019	$60,4172020-2024	+33%	Within the margin of error	61%
Poverty rate	10.5%2015-2019	18.9%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.8%2015-2019	28.6%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	34%

“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 West Union, West Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of West Union, 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, West Union, West Virginia itself moved +0.8 points in standing on average over the same 5 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

1,039 residents (±331)

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

361 households (±120)

West Union, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under $25k15%†55
$25k–50k25%†91
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

361 households (±120)

West Union, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Own80%†290
Rent20%†71

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

538 workers (±294)

West Union, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Drive alone76%†410
Carpool6.1%†33
Public transit

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 Clarksburg, 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 Doddridge County, the county holding most of West Union's residents.

Doddridge County has 69 employer establishments, 89.7 for every 10,000 residents (0.36× the US rate of 248; 0.44× West Virginia's), with 931 paid employees at an average annual pay of $64,742. The Census Bureau also counts 302 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 69; 302 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 89.7; US 248 · West Virginia 202
Paid employees: 931
Average annual pay: $64,742; US $68,342

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

Construction of buildings	5	6.5	0.86×Too few to compare	17	$50,882	14
Individual and family services	5	6.5	2.32×Too few to compare	59	$20,424	—
Religious organizations	5	6.5	1.17×Too few to compare	14	$12,071	—
Specialty trade contractors	5	6.5	0.42×Too few to compare	124	$97,581	21
Restaurants and other eating places	4	5.2	0.28×Too few to compare	31	$12,194	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	3	3.9	1.47×Too few to compare	14	$36,929	6
Building finishing contractors	3	3.9	1.03×Too few to compare	121	$99,562	4
Full-service restaurants	3	3.9	0.51×Too few to compare	31	$11,548	—
Truck transportation	3	3.9	0.77×Too few to compare	24	$45,208	15
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	5
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Ambulatory health care services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	6

Rank places for an industry Open Doddridge County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 7,694 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: West Union is mostly in Doddridge County.

See federal money in Doddridge 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.

West Union, 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.

Doddridge County17100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Clarksburg, WV45

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/5486116

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends