Key Findings 

WEST VIRGINIA 

HEALTH 

DISPARITIES

1 

MORTALITY 

Heart Disease Deaths 

 West Virginia’s heart disease mortality rate is 19 percent 

higher than the national rate. 

Cancer Deaths 

 West Virginia’s cancer mortality rate is 17 percent higher 

than the national rate. 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Deaths 

 West Virginia’s COPD mortality rate is 53 percent higher 

than the national rate. 

Injury Deaths 

 West Virginia’s injury mortality rate is 70 percent higher than the national rate.

Stroke Deaths 

 West Virginia’s stroke mortality rate is 19 percent higher than the national rate. 

Diabetes Deaths 

 West Virginia’s diabetes mortality rate is 53 percent higher than the national rate. 

Years of Potential Life Lost 

 West Virginia’s YPLL rate is 47 percent higher than the national rate. 

MORBIDITY 

Physically Unhealthy Days 

 The average adult in West Virginia reports feeling physically unhealthy 33 percent more often 

than the average American. 

Mentally Unhealthy Days 

 The average adult in West Virginia reports feeling mentally unhealthy 31 percent more often 

than the average American. 

HIV Prevalence 

 West Virginia’s HIV rate is 70 percent lower than the national rate. 

 

 WEST VIRGINIA
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HEALTH IN APPALACHIA Key Findings | WEST VIRGINIA

2 

Diabetes Prevalence 

 The prevalence of diabetes in West Virginia is 13.1 percent, a mark higher than the 9.8 percent 

experienced by the nation as a whole. 

Obesity Prevalence 

 The prevalence of adult obesity is 34.1 percent in West Virginia, a mark higher than the 27.4 

percent experienced in the nation as a whole. 

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 

Depression Prevalence 

 The prevalence of depression among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in West Virginia is 

18.5 percent, compared to 15.4 percent for the United States as a whole. 

Suicide Incidence 

 The suicide rate in West Virginia is 27 percent higher than the national rate. 

Excessive Drinking 

 The percentage of adults reporting excessive drinking in West Virginia (11.4 percent) is lower 

than in the nation as a whole (17.7 percent). 

Poisoning Deaths 

 The poisoning mortality rate in West Virginia is 110 percent higher than the national rate. 

Opioid Prescription Rates 

 Of all Medicare prescription claims in West Virginia, 6.1 percent are for opioids, compared to 

5.3 percent in the United States as a whole. 

CHILD HEALTH 

Infant Mortality 

 The infant mortality rate is 23 percent higher in West Virginia than in the nation as a whole. 

Low Birth Weight Incidence 

 The incidence of low birth weight in West Virginia is 9.3 percent of all newborns, a higher 

percentage than the national average of 8.1 percent. 

Teen Birth Rate 

 The teen birth rate in West Virginia is 33 percent higher than the national rate. 

COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS 

Average Travel Time to Work 

 The average travel time to work in West Virginia is 25.8 minutes, which is comparable to the 

national average of 25.7 minutes. 
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HEALTH IN APPALACHIA Key Findings | WEST VIRGINIA

3 

Grocery Store Availability 

 There are the same number of grocery stores per 1,000 population in West Virginia as in the 

United States as a whole. 

Student-Teacher Ratio 

 West Virginia’s student-teacher ratio is 14.1, which is a lower (better) ratio than the national 

average of 16.5. 

LIFESTYLE 

Physical Inactivity 

 In West Virginia, 32.0 percent of people report being physically inactive, a figure higher than 

the 23.1 percent reported in the United States as a whole. 

Smoking 

 In West Virginia, 23.9 percent of all adults report being cigarette smokers, a figure higher than 

the 16.3 percent at the national level. 

Chlamydia Rate 

 Chlamydia incidence in West Virginia is 37 percent lower than the national average. 

HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS 

Primary Care Physicians 

 The supply of primary care physicians per 100,000 population in West Virginia is 3 percent 

higher than the national average. 

Mental Health Providers 

 The supply of mental health providers per 100,000 population in West Virginia is 45 percent 

lower than the national average. 

Specialty Physicians 

 The supply of specialty physicians per 100,000 population in West Virginia is 21 percent lower 

than the national average. 

Dentists 

 The supply of dentists per 100,000 population in West Virginia is 24 percent lower than the 

national average. 

Uninsured Population 

 The percentage of the population under age 65 that is uninsured in West Virginia is 17.1 

percent, which is slightly higher (worse) than the national average of 16.8 percent. 

Heart Disease Hospitalizations 

 Hospitalization rates for heart disease in West Virginia are 32 percent higher than the national 

average. 
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HEALTH IN APPALACHIA Key Findings | WEST VIRGINIA

4 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hospitalizations 

 Hospitalization rates for COPD in West Virginia are 41 percent higher than the national 

average. 

QUALITY OF CARE 

Electronic Prescribing 

 Electronic prescribing is about the same in West Virginia (65.7 percent of prescriptions) as in 

the nation as a whole (65.8 percent). 

Mammogram Screenings 

 The percentage of Medicare-covered women undergoing mammogram screenings in West 

Virginia is lower than the percentage at the national level. In West Virginia, 57.8 percent of 

Medicare-covered women ages 67 to 69 have had a recent mammogram, compared to the 62.1 

percent reported in the nation as a whole. 

Diabetes Monitoring 

 Diabetes monitoring is slightly lower among Medicare patients in West Virginia (83.5 percent) 

than among Medicare patients in the United States as a whole (84.7 percent). 

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS 

Median Household Income 

 The median household income in West Virginia is 25 percent less than the national median. 

Poverty 

 The household poverty rate is 18.4 percent in West Virginia, a figure higher than the national 

rate of 15.6 percent. 

Disability 

 The percentage of people receiving disability benefits is higher in West Virginia (9.1 percent) 

than in the United States as a whole (5.1 percent). 

Education 

 In West Virginia, 53.1 percent of adults ages 25 to 44 have some type of post-secondary 

education, compared to the 63.3 percent in the nation as a whole. 

Social Associations 

 The social association rate in West Virginia is 39 percent higher than the rate found in the 

nation as a whole.