"In 2017, West Virginia’s $43,469 median household income was $16,867 below the national average, ranking 50th."
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
A mural depicting a more vibrant time in the town's history decorates a building in Welch, W.Va. (AP/David Goldman)
Did West Virginia rank 50th in household income in 2017? Yes
In a Nov. 8 op-ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Mike Romano, a Democratic West Virginia state senator, said West Virginia’s median household income was nearly $17,000 below the national average.
"In 2017, West Virginia’s $43,469 median household income was $16,867 below the national average, ranking 50th, according to the U.S. Census Bureau," Romano wrote.
Is that correct? We took a closer look.
In September 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau released a report that included data for household income in 2017.
The figure for the United States was $60,336, while the figure for West Virginia was $43,469. The difference is exactly $16,867, as Romano said.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Meanwhile, we ranked the 50 states by household income and found that West Virginia ranked last, trailing Mississippi by $60.
Here’s the full ranking:
Maryland
$80,776
New Jersey
80,088
Hawaii
77,765
Massachusetts
77,385
Connecticut
74,168
New Hampshire
73,381
Alaska
73,181
California
71,805
Virginia
71,535
Washington
70,979
Colorado
69,117
Minnesota
68,388
Utah
68,358
New York
64,894
Rhode Island
63,870
Illinois
62,992
Delaware
62,852
North Dakota
61,843
Wyoming
60,434
Oregon
60,212
Nebraska
59,970
Wisconsin
59,305
Texas
59,206
Pennsylvania
59,195
Iowa
58,570
Nevada
58,003
Vermont
57,513
Arizona
56,581
South Dakota
56,521
Kansas
56,422
Featured Fact-check
Maine
56,277
Georgia
56,183
Michigan
54,909
Indiana
54,181
Ohio
54,021
Missouri
53,578
Montana
53,386
North Carolina
52,752
Florida
52,594
Idaho
52,225
Tennessee
51,340
South Carolina
50,570
Oklahoma
50,051
Kentucky
48,375
Alabama
48,123
New Mexico
46,744
Louisiana
46,145
Arkansas
45,869
Mississippi
43,529
West Virginia
43,469
Our ruling
Romano wrote, "In 2017, West Virginia’s $43,469 median household income was $16,867 below the national average, ranking 50th according to the U.S. Census Bureau."
His statement is fully correct -- on West Virginia’s median household income, on its distance from the national average, and in its 50th place ranking.
We rate the statement True.
PolitiFact Rating: 
Our Sources
Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Mike Romano: Creating a real economic comeback" (op-ed), Nov. 8, 2018
U.S. Census Bureau, "Household Income: 2017," September 2018
Email interview with Mike Romano, Dec. 4 2018
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Julia Mellett
Did West Virginia rank 50th in household income in 2017? Yes
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.