West Virginia · Federal data hub

Wheeling, WV-OH

0.139M people3 counties#7 of 11 in West Virginia$58,705 median HHIUpdated April 10, 2026

Investor first look

The numbers that matter most

What an investor checks first when sizing up a new metro — affordability ratio, rent vs income, cap rate proxy, and where the market is moving. Each metric shown vs. state and national medians for instant context.

affordable

Price to income

2.54×

The single most-cited 'is this market still cheap' check. Below 3× and you're in an affordability tailwind.

vs West Virginia: 2.54×=
vs U.S.: 3.43×-0.89

Benchmark

2.54×

▼

affordable

moderate

expensive

0×–3×

3×–5×

5×–7×

ACS median home value ÷ median HHI

comfortable

Rent to income

20.3%

What share of a typical household's income goes to rent. Below 30% means tenants can absorb modest rent increases.

vs West Virginia: 21.1%-0.9
vs U.S.: 23.3%-3.0

Benchmark

20.3%

▼

comfortable

moderate

burdened

15%–25%

25%–30%

30%–40%

(HUD FMR 2BR × 12) ÷ median HHI

deal-by-deal

Cap rate proxy

5.18%

Rough first-pass yield assuming a 35% expense ratio. Not an underwriting number — a 'is this even worth modeling' filter.

vs West Virginia: 5.52%-0.34
vs U.S.: 4.35%+0.83

Benchmark

5.18%

▼

tight

deal-by-deal

solid

1%–3%

3%–5%

5%–7%

(FMR 2BR × 12 × 0.65) ÷ ACS median home value

shrinking

Net migration

-0.04%

Forward-looking demand signal. Positive net migration drives rent growth and absorbs new supply.

vs West Virginia: 0.03%-0.06
vs U.S.: 0.03%-0.07

Benchmark

-0.04%

▼

shrinking

steady

growing

-1%–-0.1%

-0.1%–+0.1%

+0.1%–+1%

IRS net migration ÷ population

tight

Permit pipeline

0.02

permits per 1,000 residents

Forward-supply indicator. Above ~5 means the metro is building meaningfully relative to its size; below 2 means supply is tight.

vs West Virginia: 0.43-0.40
vs U.S.: 3.52-3.50

Benchmark

0.02

▼

tight

moderate

strong

0–2

2–5

5–10

Census BPS permits TTM ÷ population × 1,000

softening

Unemployment

4.5%

Tighter unemployment means higher wages, more rental demand, lower vacancy.

vs West Virginia: 4.4%+0.1
vs U.S.: 3.9%+0.6

Benchmark

4.5%

▼

healthy

normal

loose

2%–4%

4%–5.5%

5.5%–8%

BLS LAUS, latest month

Home values

Where prices are and where they've been

5-year price appreciation

+35.3%

homeValues.yearOverYear

+6.5%

Median home value

$149,300

Rents

The rent ladder

Bedroom	Monthly	Annual	% of median HHI
1 BR	$816	$9,792	16.7%
2 BR	$991	$11,892	20.3%
3 BR	$1,277	$15,324	26.1%

Jobs & income

Labor market direction

Unemployment

4.5%

Median household income

$58,705

Supply pipeline

What's being built

Total TTM

0.0% YoY

Single-family

2–4 unit

5+ unit

Counties

All 3 counties, ranked by population

County	Population	Home value	Median HHI	Permits TTM	YoY
Belmont County	66,554	$143,000	$58,411	0	-100.0%
Ohio County	42,224	$165,300	$57,867	3	—
Marshall County	30,509	$139,800	$60,329	0	-100.0%

Peer metros

Similar metros nationally

Metro	Pop	Med HHI	P/I	Cap proxy	HPI 5y	Permits/1k	Unemp
★Wheeling	139,287	$58,705	2.54×	5.18%	+35.3%	0.02	4.5%
Morristown, TN	143,196	$58,130	—	—	+70.2%	—	3.3%
Rocky Mount, NC	144,082	$57,437	—	—	+52.7%	—	4.8%
Springfield, OH	135,877	$60,846	—	—	+63.7%	—	4.3%
Hammond, LA	133,953	$57,256	—	—	+39.7%	—	4.7%
Battle Creek, MI	134,011	$60,385	—	—	+58.4%	—	5.1%

Migration

Where people are moving in from

Net migration

-52

-0.04% of population

Origin county	Tax returns
Ohio County, WV	425
Marshall County, WV	282
Belmont County, OH	212
Jefferson County, OH	157
Franklin County, OH	65
Washington County, PA	57

Demographic backbone

Who lives in Wheeling

Median age: 44
Bachelor's+: 22.9%
Owner-occupancy: 73.0%
Vacancy rate: 15.5%
Rent burdened (30%+): 41.9%
Median household income: $58,705

This page shows federally sourced data. A full editorial analysis with charts and investment commentary is in progress.