Cost of Living in Valley Head, West Virginia

Valley Head is a Census-designated place in Randolph County, West Virginia, with a population of 248. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Valley Head is $35,435 a year — about the same as the annual cost of living for West Virginia of $35,209 yet less than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Valley Head and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Housing Costs in Valley Head, West Virginia

Housing is one of the largest components of cost of living. In Valley Head, the median home value is $61,300, less than the national median home value of $204,900.

Renting is a sometimes lower cost alternative to homeownership. In Valley Head, some 14.90% of occupied homes are rented, less than the 36.2% national renter rate.

Transportation Costs in Valley Head, West Virginia

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Valley Head, 100.00% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 86.00% of workers commute to jobs outside of Valley Head, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Valley Head is N minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Valley Head spends $10,899 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Valley Head, West Virginia

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are far higher than they are on average nationwide in Valley Head but in line with what they are across West Virginia as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $5,517 per year, compared to an average of $5,492 across West Virginia and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Valley Head, West Virginia

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Valley Head, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $10,908, about $2,700 less than the comparable average of $13,611 across all of West Virginia. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Valley Head, West Virginia

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Valley Head, a single adult spends an average of $2,996 on food annually, and a family of four spends $8,652 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across West Virginia and the U.S., respectively, are $2,962 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $8,555 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Valley Head, West Virginia

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Valley Head, West Virginia pays $6,057 annually — closely in line with the statewide average of $6,007.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Valley Head residents live in a state with a modest average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in West Virginia total $3,000 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

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