Why is the West Virginia population continuing to decline?

By Dakota Baker, RealWV

West Virginia has been experiencing a steady, slow decline in its population for quite some time. Our peak population was in 1950 at around 2 million residents, and it has been declining since then.

Sadly, since the 2020 census, our population has declined by an estimated 23,000 to over 25,000 residents, and our future seems unclear. Some key factors contributing to our population decline are that deaths in our state outnumber births, our reliance on declining industries such as coal, high poverty rates, and substance use problems. Consequently, younger generations no longer view West Virginia as a suitable place to settle down and start families.

I asked a few West Virginians (who still reside here or have left to pursue other opportunities) why they think our population continues to decline, and this is what they had to say:

Resident 1: “Quality of life. Nobody wants to birth someone into a world they themselves cannot usher and thrive in. This applies to people leaving our state as well. All the time you see people leave our state, younger people especially, who find opportunities they could never find here. Our state has been reduced to a retirement state and nothing more. Without young leaders and voters staying in this state alike, nothing will change.”
Resident 2: “I would say it’s due to a lack of jobs. Every educated person I know who moved out of state couldn’t find a job in their field locally. Overall, there’s a lack of opportunities.”
Former resident: “Our government does not care about the people who reside here.”
Resident 3: “Lack of medical services; lack of social activities/events for young people to participate in.”
Resident 4: “Lack of diverse career opportunities and bad healthcare.”
Resident 5: “There aren’t enough jobs or housing to support a family. For the healthcare side, I’m going to Charleston just for my issues involving my reproductive system, and I know a lot of people who are infertile or choose to not have kids because of the state of things. Beyond that, the schools and daycares are terrible here. The people I know raising children usually decide to do online homeschooling rather than throw them into a system that disregards the child’s well-being.”

There seem to be various societal ailments driving our younger generations to settle elsewhere. What do you think can be done to begin to reverse this population decline?