Senior Life in West Virginia

West Virginia has a much higher than national average of residents who are over the age of 65. Currently, 15.3% of West Virginia residents are seniors. The US average is 12.4%. Currently there are over 279,000 seniors in West Virginia. This number will most certainly rise in the coming years, as well as the need for assisted living and long term care in West Virginia.

Economy:

West Virginia is among the poorest states in the country, ranked 48th in per capita income and 49th in median household income. The state’s economy has long depended on coal mining; it produces the second most coal of any state in the country and its coal-fired power plants export the most electricity of any state in the country. Because the state is so mountainous, agriculture has never been a major source of revenue for West Virginia. The state acts as a sort of gateway through the Appalachians, and its highways and railways are vital to interstate trade between the Northeast, South, and Midwest..

Noteworthy:

West Virginia separated from Virginia at the outbreak of the Civil War, with its counties choosing to stay a part of the union instead of seceding.