Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Italy instead of West Virginia, you would:
Health
live 9.8 years longer
In West Virginia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (72 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2020. In Italy, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 12.5% more money
West Virginia has a GDP per capita of $46,834 as of 2024, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $52,700 as of 2023.
be 73.2% more likely to be unemployed
In West Virginia, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.
be 23.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In West Virginia, 16.3% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 11.5% less likely to have internet access
In West Virginia, approximately 84.7% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Italy, about 75.0% do as of 2021.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Italy: At a glance
How big is Italy compared to West Virginia? See an in-depth size comparison.