Quality of life comparison
If you lived in West Virginia instead of Arkansas, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years less
In Arkansas, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020. In West Virginia, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2020.
Safety
be 56.4% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
Arkansas has a violent crime rate of 610 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In West Virginia, that number is 266 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 45.4% less likely to be a victim of property crime
Arkansas has a property crime rate of 2,195 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In West Virginia, that number is 1,198 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 11.2% less for a home
The median home value in Arkansas is $175,300 as of 2023, compared to $155,600 in West Virginia as of 2023.
be 12.4% more likely to own your home
In Arkansas, 66.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied as of 2023. In West Virginia, that number is 74.3% as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 29.1% less likely to be uninsured
In Arkansas, 8.6% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In West Virginia, that number is 6.1% as of 2023.
live among residents who are 4.3 years older on average
The median age in Arkansas is 38.4 years as of 2023. In West Virginia, the median age is 42.7 years as of 2023.
be 21.3% less likely to be food insecure
In Arkansas, 15.0% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In West Virginia, that number is 11.8% as of 2021.
commute 4.3 minutes longer
The average one-way commute in Arkansas takes 22.3 minutes as of 2023. In West Virginia, it takes 26.6 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 24.6% more densely populated
Arkansas has a population density of 22.8 people per sq km as of 2023. In West Virginia, that number is 28.4 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 75.8% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Arkansas, 3.3% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In West Virginia, that number is 0.8% as of 2023.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Feeding America, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
