The cost of household necessities in West Virginia rose faster than inflation for more than 15 years, leaving many households vulnerable to the growing affordability crisis, according to new data from United For ALICE, in partnership with the United Ways of West Virginia.
The latest State of ALICE report for West Virginia includes data from the ALICE Essentials Index, which tracks the rising costs of only six basics families need to live and work: housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and technology. Between 2007 and 2024, the ALICE Essentials Index for WV increased 65%, compared with 52% for the broader Consumer Price Index (CPI), which reports inflation across more than 200 categories of goods and services.
The report highlights the growing financial strains on the demographic known as ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). With income above the Federal Poverty Level but unable to afford basic expenses, 204,987 WV households were ALICE in 2024. When combined with households in poverty, 45% of all households in WV fell below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival.
“Behind these numbers are families making impossible choices every day — between groceries and utilities, child care and rent,” said Brett White, Tygart Valley United Way CEO. “The ALICE data helps guide our work with partners across West Virginia, so we can respond to immediate needs and help build stronger paths to stability.”
The crux of the struggle for ALICE families is the gap between wages and expenses. In 2024, a family of four in West Virginia needed $78,156 just to cover the essentials — over two times the Federal Poverty Level of $31,200. Yet even with both parents working full time in two of the state’s most common jobs — a cook and a teller — this family’s combined income still fell short of the cost of basics by $23,333.
The State of ALICE in WV also reveals that in 2024:
- West Virginia ranked 46th in financial hardship among all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, with one of the nation’s highest percentages of households struggling to make ends meet.
- ALICE households were found in every major industry statewide, with the highest levels of hardship in food service and accommodation (48%), retail trade (39%), and other services except public administration (27%).
- Minimum-wage workers in WV were paid an hourly wage of $8.75 in 2024, unchanged since 2015. Yet for one full-time adult worker with one school-age child, that wage still was not enough to support the ALICE Household Survival Budget, the minimum cost of basics, in any county across West Virginia.
“The ALICE research shows that the affordability crisis is not new," said Stephanie Hoopes, Ph.D., National Director at United For ALICE. “Already stretched thin, ALICE families have no cushion for rising gas or utility costs — forcing tough tradeoffs with other necessities. That’s the insight policymakers and community leaders need to build a stronger future for ALICE and all.”
More state and local data is available through the interactive dashboards on UnitedForALICE.org/West-Virginia.