State rental market reference · Data updated October 18, 2026
West Virginia rental market for DSCR investors: rent, taxes and insurance by county
What a rental in West Virginia rents for, what it costs to carry, and whether it stays rented, from official data for all 55 counties. Read it before you price a deal here.
West Virginia at a glance
What does a rental rent for?
$1,006 a month
HUD's FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent where most of West Virginia's renters live, from $944 (Logan County) to $1,505 (Hampshire County). It is the government figure for a modest 2-bedroom unit, utilities included, not the rent for a house.
What will property taxes cost?
0.53% of value a year
Homeowners in West Virginia pay a median $865 a year on a median home value of $162,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024). A rental can be taxed at a different rate than an owner's home; the local tax bill is the real number.
What will insurance cost?
$970 a year
The median that homeowners with a mortgage in West Virginia report paying for homeowners insurance (Census ACS 2020–2024). It is not a landlord quote: a rental policy usually costs more, and flood cover is extra.
Will it stay rented?
6.7% rental vacancy
Share of West Virginia's rental homes vacant and for rent (Census ACS 2020–2024), across 183,060 renter households. Lower means rentals fill faster.
Are jobs growing?
Employment down 0.7% in a year
Employed residents in August 2026 against a year earlier; unemployment 4.1% (BLS, not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month a year apart).
Is new supply coming?
3,962 homes permitted in 2025
About 5.4 new homes per 1,000 households; 91% single-family (Census Building Permits Survey). More new homes means more competition for tenants and buyers.
How often does it flood?
6,196 flood claims since 2005
National Flood Insurance Program claims on properties in West Virginia since 2005, $143.9 million paid (FEMA). Claims show where water has reached insured buildings; they are not a flood map, so check the FEMA flood zone for the address.
What it means for a DSCR rental in West Virginia
A lender's DSCR is the monthly rent divided by the full monthly payment: principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and any HOA dues. Many lenders accept 1.00x; 1.20x leaves a cushion.
Take a home at West Virginia's median value of $162,600, bought with 25% down on a 7.5% 30-year loan, with the state's typical tax rate and insurance:
- Principal and interest ($121,950 loan)
- $853
- Property taxes
- $72
- Insurance
- $81
- Full monthly payment
- $1,005
- Rent for a 1.20x DSCR
- $1,210 a month
The government 2-bedroom figure where most of West Virginia's renters live is $1,006 a month, below the $1,210 that home needs. A house usually rents for more than a 2-bedroom unit, so price the house you are looking at with its own rent. The last column of the table below gives the same figure for each county.
Market hubs in West Virginia
DSCRInfo does not publish a monthly market hub in West Virginia yet. The figures above and the table below cover every county; the market hubs cover other states.
West Virginia by county
All 55 counties, most renter households first. "Rent for 1.20x" is the monthly rent a home at that county's median value needs on the example loan above. A dash means the source publishes no reliable figure there.
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanawha County | $1,048 | 0.65% | $980 | 9.1% | -0.9% | 97 | 950 | $1,120 |
| Monongalia County | $1,143 | 0.47% | $1,100 | 8.3% | +0.6% | 22 | 52 | $1,920 |
| Cabell County | $1,006 | 0.60% | $1,040 | 6.2% | -0.4% | 71 | 250 | $1,240 |
| Berkeley County | $1,215 | 0.52% | $950 | 1.3% | -1.3% | 1,140 | 56 | $1,910 |
| Wood County | $974 | 0.59% | $850 | 9.8% | -1.8% | 87 | 210 | $1,180 |
| Raleigh County | $972 | 0.50% | $1,020 | 6.3% | -2.0% | 50 | 140 | $1,130 |
| Harrison County | $1,005 | 0.55% | $970 | 14.9% | +0.0% | 192 | 126 | $1,230 |
| Mercer County | $946 | 0.54% | $960 | 4.8% | -0.5% | 5 | 69 | $930 |
| Ohio County | $1,009 | 0.60% | $780 | 5.8% | -2.2% | 3 | 437 | $1,220 |
| Marion County | $1,071 | 0.59% | $990 | 9.4% | +0.4% | 10 | 118 | $1,250 |
| Jefferson County | $1,376 | 0.53% | $1,240 | 3.3% | -1.9% | 1,324 | 23 | $2,520 |
| Putnam County | $1,091 | 0.59% | $980 | 1.5% | -0.4% | 118 | 104 | $1,630 |
| Greenbrier County | $991 | 0.44% | $930 | 10.6% | -1.6% | 108 | 454 | $1,100 |
| Fayette County | $961 | 0.64% | $980 | 7.5% | -1.9% | 27 | 120 | $830 |
| Wayne County | $1,006 | 0.47% | $1,010 | 7.4% | -0.5% | 61 | 118 | $960 |
| Hancock County | $1,007 | 0.63% | $810 | 8.4% | -1.1% | 14 | 48 | $990 |
| Logan County | $944 | 0.56% | $890 | 3.8% | -3.2% | 1 | 504 | $800 |
| Marshall County | $1,009 | 0.45% | $910 | 4.5% | -2.3% | 0 | 125 | $1,100 |
| Randolph County | $975 | 0.39% | $900 | 2.9% | +0.3% | 0 | 64 | $1,060 |
| Mingo County | $961 | 0.47% | $1,240 | 4.9% | -1.3% | 0 | 381 | $740 |
| Jackson County | $944 | 0.53% | $920 | 0.6% | +0.9% | 0 | 42 | $1,160 |
| Brooke County | $1,007 | 0.53% | $940 | 1.6% | -1.1% | 0 | 79 | $1,060 |
| Preston County | $1,143 | 0.49% | $1,050 | 5.5% | +0.6% | 8 | 18 | $1,210 |
| Mineral County | $944 | 0.45% | $980 | 6.2% | -1.2% | 43 | 26 | $1,310 |
| Lincoln County | $944 | 0.51% | $1,110 | 0.5% | +1.4% | 11 | 121 | $830 |
Show the other 30 counties
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County | $944 | 0.46% | $910 | 5.2% | +1.9% | 5 | 64 | $1,120 |
| Mason County | $944 | 0.59% | $890 | 4.6% | +3.3% | 7 | 21 | $920 |
| Upshur County | $993 | 0.42% | $940 | 3.6% | -2.0% | 30 | 45 | $1,240 |
| Nicholas County | $944 | 0.46% | $890 | 5.1% | -0.5% | 2 | 77 | $910 |
| Hampshire County | $1,505 | 0.38% | $950 | 6.1% | -1.6% | 129 | 13 | $1,560 |
| Boone County | $944 | 0.67% | $900 | 3.0% | -1.0% | 6 | 89 | $740 |
| McDowell County | $944 | 0.67% | $620 | 3.6% | -4.1% | 0 | 172 | $410 |
| Wyoming County | $944 | 0.45% | $460 | 3.7% | -4.8% | 20 | 221 | $600 |
| Hardy County | $955 | 0.35% | $990 | 3.0% | +2.1% | 66 | 2 | $1,200 |
| Barbour County | $944 | 0.43% | $950 | 4.0% | +1.1% | 2 | 21 | $980 |
| Roane County | $944 | 0.44% | $960 | 7.9% | +1.7% | 21 | 68 | $920 |
| Morgan County | $979 | 0.47% | $1,010 | 0.7% | -1.2% | 130 | 44 | $1,730 |
| Braxton County | $944 | 0.45% | $860 | 5.5% | -1.2% | 11 | 11 | $880 |
| Taylor County | $1,020 | 0.54% | $950 | 5.9% | +0.1% | 0 | 21 | $1,110 |
| Wetzel County | $944 | 0.67% | $810 | 4.5% | -1.2% | 2 | 87 | $830 |
| Summers County | $944 | 0.31% | $830 | 11.8% | +0.8% | 12 | 128 | $1,010 |
| Grant County | $944 | 0.31% | $920 | 3.9% | +2.1% | 23 | 7 | $1,250 |
| Clay County | $1,048 | 0.35% | $770 | 2.2% | -0.9% | 11 | 50 | $800 |
| Webster County | $944 | 0.40% | $800 | 0.0% | -2.8% | 0 | 61 | $590 |
| Monroe County | $944 | 0.46% | $1,090 | 3.5% | +0.0% | 3 | 25 | $1,160 |
| Gilmer County | $944 | 0.49% | $680 | 12.0% | +3.7% | 6 | 89 | $640 |
| Tucker County | $944 | 0.37% | $1,070 | 7.1% | +2.4% | 1 | 5 | $1,140 |
| Ritchie County | $944 | 0.66% | $760 | 10.2% | +1.6% | 32 | 8 | $880 |
| Tyler County | $944 | 0.57% | $800 | 6.0% | -1.3% | 0 | 10 | $910 |
| Pocahontas County | $944 | 0.30% | $890 | 12.8% | -2.0% | 7 | 110 | $1,090 |
| Pleasants County | $944 | 0.54% | $850 | 6.7% | +0.5% | 3 | 7 | $1,120 |
| Pendleton County | $944 | 0.34% | $1,160 | 19.4% | -1.3% | 23 | 2 | $1,340 |
| Calhoun County | $944 | 0.42% | $860 | 11.7% | +2.1% | 6 | 26 | $760 |
| Doddridge County | $976 | 0.50% | $850 | 17.8% | +0.6% | – | 11 | $1,180 |
| Wirt County | $974 | 0.52% | $880 | 16.0% | -1.9% | 12 | 13 | $880 |
Where these numbers come from
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, in effect from October 1, 2026: the rent and utilities of a modest 2-bedroom unit, set for housing vouchers. It is not a house rent. Where HUD publishes by town (New England), the county shows the range. HUD Fair Market Rents
- Property tax, insurance, vacancy and home value
- Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Property tax is the median tax paid divided by the median home value of owner-occupied homes. Insurance is the median that owners with a mortgage report paying, not a landlord quote. Rental vacancy is homes vacant for rent divided by all rental homes. Figures from too few homes are left blank. American Community Survey
- Jobs
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics: employed residents in August 2026 against the same month a year earlier, not seasonally adjusted. BLS LAUS
- Permits
- Census Building Permits Survey: new housing units authorized in 2025, all building sizes. Building Permits Survey
- Flood claims
- FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims with a loss in 2005 or later, and the net amount paid. Only insured buildings appear. Check a flood zone
These are screening figures for comparing places, not a quote, an appraisal or a loan offer. West Virginia total flood payments since 2005: $143.9 million.