Metro area · West Virginia
Beckley, WV metro area
Beckley, WV is a metropolitan area of 2 counties in West Virginia, home to 109,940 residents. Beckley, WV metro area has a quality-of-life score of 17 out of 100 (very low), ranking #765 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in West Virginia it ranks #11 of 11. It ranks best on pharmacies (high), cost of buying a home today (low) and hot days (low). It ranks worst on frequent mental distress (high), injury deaths (high) and depression (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #765 of 925 metro and micro areas
- West Virginia
- #11 of 11 in WV
- Population
- 109,940 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,267 mi²
- Density
- 86.8 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 13220
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 67 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety29#654/924
- Economy7#864/925
- Housing51#452/925
- Health0#923/925
- Healthcare51#449/923
- Environment93#62/917
- Education18#757/925
- Infrastructure2#911/925
- Community8#848/925
- Leisure & amenities34#611/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Beckley, WV metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Pharmacies · high3.3 /10k99/100West Virginia 2.8 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
- Cost of buying a home today · low21.9%
- Hot days · low2 days94/100West Virginia 10 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
- Home price to income ratio · low2.5×
- Distance to an Amtrak station · low9 mi84/100West Virginia 30 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Effective property tax rate · low0.51%
Weaknesses
- Frequent mental distress · high24.3%0/100West Virginia 23.4%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Injury deaths · high207 /100k0/100West Virginia 151 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Depression · high32.5%0/100West Virginia 31.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Drug overdose deaths · high59.2 /100k1/100West Virginia 36.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Preventable hospital stays · high4,988 /100k2/100West Virginia 4,063 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Life expectancy · low69.4 yrs2/100West Virginia 72.4 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 29% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+29 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- New business applicationsImproving
6.0 /1k (2020) → 11.1 /1k (2025)
+86%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Mental health providersImproving
144 /100k (2021) → 253 /100k (2025)
+75%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
- Flu vaccinationsWorsening
40.3% (2019) → 28.3% (2023)
−12 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
130.9 /100k (2021) → 59.2 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−55%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- Homicide rateImproving
7.6 /100k (2021) → 3.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
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.
Metro and micro areas like Beckley, WV metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Beckley, WV metro area 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Beckley, WV
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Beckley16,818
- Oak Hill7,937
- Shady Spring3,381
- Fayetteville2,817
- Sophia1,528
- Montgomery1,516
- Mount Hope1,504
- MacArthur1,493
- Daniels1,489
- Stanaford1,449
- Bradley1,424
- Mabscott1,396
- Prosperity1,389
- Ansted1,140
- Crab Orchard1,139
- Piney View986
- Sprague952
- Coal City724
- Smithers712
- Beaver695
- Gatewood605
- Meadow Bridge504
- Powellton479
- Gauley Bridge413
Other metro and micro areas in West Virginia
Areas based in West Virginia, best score first.
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Bluefield, WV-VA22Alike on Life expectancy, Premature death, Depression
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH33Alike on Smoking, Obesity, Overdose deaths
- Charleston, WV42Alike on Depression, Mental distress, Injury deaths
- Portsmouth, OH9Alike on Life expectancy, Smoking, Inactivity
- Elkins, WV32Alike on Depression, Mental distress, Household income
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08