West Virginia has had the highest population exodus in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 2010, West Virginia’s population was 1.85 million. Fast-forward to 2020, and the population is 1.79 million people, the Census Bureau reported.
The 3.2 percent population drop caused the state to lose a congressional seat and marked one of the country’s biggest population declines over the past decade, The Associated Press reported.
There are multiple reasons for the exodus, including high poverty rates, low pay, lack of opportunities and poor internet connection, according to the AP.
The poverty rate in West Virginia is 16 percent, according to the Census Bureau, one of the highest in the U.S.
The Census Bureau also found that only 76 percent of West Virginians have a broadband internet subscription and that only 20 percent of the state’s population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
……..
- Discussion
-
There are multiple reasons for the exodus including high poverty rate, low pay, lack of opportunity and poor internet connection. https://t.co/8vV9y0wbFd
— The Hill (@thehill) May 22, 2021
My neighbor to the south has lost so much since the steel industry declined and coal has been decimated. My mother had relatives living in Benwood, WV and as kids, we used to visit them or they would come to see us. The older relatives have passed on, but their children and grandchildren fled West Virginia some years ago. Poverty is rampant there now and jobs are hard to come by. It’s a shame because West Virginia is a lovely state.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.