West Virginia Housing Market Vitality
Market Rank
fifty
West Virginia metro area house prices are forecasted to underperform the national market over the next twelve months. Currently, the market is underperforming the overall U.S. market. Compared to 12-months ago, West Virginia’s housing market has weakened. Current local economic conditions support an estimated 6.5% increase in house prices over the next twelve months. Based on the housing market vitality of the eleven metro housing markets which comprise it, West Virginia’s housing market ranks fiftieth amongst all states and D.C. The three-month outlook is negative.
Housing Market Vitality
Housing Market Vitality summarizes the impact of economic conditions on house prices. A value of 100 corresponds to conditions supporting current price appreciation; values less than 100 correspond to a dampening effect and values greater than 100 indicate a positive impact on house prices. A housing market vitality value can be interpreted as a growth rate. Hence, a reading of 105.8 can be interpreted as a 5.8% annualized increase in house prices.
West Virginia Metro Housing Markets
West Virginia is comprised of eleven metro housing markets that account for nearly 61% of the state’s population. The Mountain State metro housing markets are unique in their demographics and local economies and exhibit trends that are distinct from the national and state narrative. Each metro market presents its own unique opportunity.
| METRO AREA | SITUATION | OUTLOOK | US METRO RANK (/402) |
| Beckley, WV | Underperforming | Negative | 369 |
| Charleston, WV | Underperforming | Negative | 402 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | Underperforming | Neutral | 331 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | Underperforming | Positive | 278 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | Underperforming | Negative | 361 |
| Morgantown, WV | Underperforming | Negative | 376 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | Underperforming | Negative | 390 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Underperforming | Neutral | 343 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | Underperforming | Neutral | 304 |
| Wheeling, WV-OH | Underperforming | Negative | 395 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | Underperforming | Neutral | 318 |
Industry Specialization
West Virginia’s state economy is specialized in Mining, Edu Health svcs, and Leisure Hosp. Fncl activities, Information, and Manufacturing industry sectors are less important to the state economy compared to the national economy.
Industry specialization helps explain the differing impact of industry trends on local economies in contrast to industry composition which describes the structure of the economy. A Specialization Index value greater than 100 corresponds to the sector having a greater share of the state economy than it does of the national economy. Sectors with a Specialization Index greater than 120 characterize the local economy.
Demographics
Compared to the U.S., there is a higher incidence of poverty amongst West Virginia residents and they have less purchasing power. There are more high school graduates and a smaller proportion of the population is college educated. West Virginia’s population is comparatively less diverse than the overall U.S. population.
A Demographics Index value greater than 100 corresponds to the factor being more intense in the state versus the national average. Characteristics of the local population is a longer-term factor that influences the housing market.