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Ohio County, WV

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
89
11% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$165,300
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+25.5%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$823
national $1,348
Homeownership
67%
national 65%
Unemployment
4.1%
national 3.6%
Household income
$57,867
national $78,538
Median age
42.8 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Wheeling, WV-OH.

The cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. The median home is valued at $165,300 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 25% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $823 a month. Unemployment averaged 4.1% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $57,867. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Ohio County, WV saw a net loss of 87 tax-filing households and a net loss of 119 individuals. Against a population of about 41,194, that is a net outflow of about 2.9 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $8.1M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 171 households, came from Marshall County; the largest outflow, about 163 households, went to Belmont County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 133 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$8.1M
nominal dollars
Net households
-87
tax returns
Net people
-119
exemptions

-2.9 net people per 1,000 residents (population 41,194)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$50.1M
Moved out$58.2M
Net -$8.1M (nominal)
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Ohio County within West Virginia

Ohio County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other West Virginia counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Marshall County, WV171156+15+$2.8M
Belmont County, OH146163-17-$2.3M
Allegheny County, PA3758-21-$1.1M
Brooke County, WV5131+20-$673K
Washington County, PA4039+1+$632K
Jefferson County, OH2837-9-$273K
Monongalia County, WV2324-1-$136K
Franklin County, OH25
Wetzel County, WV22

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$145.8M (-2,577 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$9.8M-393
2013-$2.3M-109
2014-$13.2M-356
2015-$9.3M-324
2016-$9.2M-233
2017-$20M-437
2018-$2.5M-3
2019-$22.6M-155
2020-$22.1M-210
2021-$9M-105
2022-$17.6M-133
2023-$8.1M-119
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 119 more people left Ohio County, WV than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $8.1M in income (nominal) — in a county of 41,204 people.

Population
41,204
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-2.9
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -29 people.
Net income per resident
−$197
nominal dollars
-$8.1M total across 41,204 residents.

The rate lets you compare Ohio County, WV with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+339
Deaths
-619
Net domestic migration
-44
Net international migration
+34
Total change
-299

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Ohio County, WV run about 11% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $112 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$67,571
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
3% below the U.S. average
Price level
89.0
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 11.0% lower than average
What that income buys
$75,963
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
9% above the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents50.9
Goods95.8
Utilities89.0
Other services99.8

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Ohio County, WV

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
42.8
years
Median household income
$57,867
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
26% below the U.S. median
College degree
33%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
15.7%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
22 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
84%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 90%Hispanic 2%Black 3%Asian 0%Other 5%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$165,300
owner-occupied homes
46% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$823
gross rent per month
39% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
67%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+0.9%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+25%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
3new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
4.1%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
18,650
17,881 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
4.0%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.2 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Ohio County, WV has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20246,72711,593369R +26.018,689
20207,22312,354321R +25.819,898
20165,49311,1391,306R +31.517,938
20126,78610,768357R +22.217,911
20088,59310,694253R +10.819,540
20048,54311,694155R +15.520,392
20007,6539,607704R +10.917,964

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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