Which has more people, Alaska or West Virginia?

Alaska has a population of 738,003 (48th of 51 US states) and West Virginia has 1,764,892 (39th of 51).

How do Alaska and West Virginia compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: Alaska $92,788 (13th of 51), West Virginia $59,608 (50th of 51) among US states. Alaska ranks better.

How do Alaska and West Virginia compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?

Unemployment Rate (%): Alaska 4.7% (tied 43rd of 51), West Virginia 4.2% (tied 30th of 51) among US states. West Virginia ranks better.

Where does Alaska beat West Virginia most clearly?

Alaska ranks far ahead on Avg Income of Bottom 90% Families (Income Inequality by State): $59,020 vs $25,014; Depression Rate Ages 0-14 (Mental Health Statistics by State): 1,043 per 100k vs 1,980 per 100k; Avg Annual Salary (Dental Hygienists Salary by State): $115,510 vs $61,050.

Where does West Virginia beat Alaska most clearly?

West Virginia ranks far ahead on COLI Misc. Costs Index (Least Expensive States): 90.2 vs 118.9; MMR 2 Doses (Kindergarten) (Vaccination Rates by State): 98.3% vs 84.3%; Varicella 2 Doses (Vaccination Rates by State): 99.7% vs 82.6%.

Alaska vs West Virginia

Alaska comes out ahead of West Virginia on 443 of 765 statistics where one end is better, to 314 with 8 ties. Alaska leads on Sports, Education and Health and 8 more categories. West Virginia leads on Travel, Agriculture and Infrastructure & Energy and 2 more categories.

765 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 8 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Alaska

Wins: 443
Avg. percentile: 48
Categories led: 11

West Virginia

Wins: 314
Avg. percentile: 39
Categories led: 5

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Alaska	West Virginia
Population	738,003 48th of 51	1,764,892 39th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$92,788 13th of 51	$59,608 50th of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	4.7% tied 43rd of 51	4.2% tied 30th of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	10.1% 13th of 51	16.7% 48th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	102.4 38th of 51	89.5 9th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$60,272 18th of 51	$50,051 50th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$74,720 10th of 51	$56,470 49th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$1,419 34th of 51	$872 1st of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	729.3 50th of 51	241.7 20th of 51

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

SportsAlaska · 17 statistics
EducationAlaska · 51 statistics
HealthAlaska · 186 statistics
TravelWest Virginia · 27 statistics
EconomicsAlaska · 284 statistics
Facts & TriviaAlaska · 17 statistics
AgricultureWest Virginia · 16 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergyWest Virginia · 33 statistics
Tech & BusinessAlaska · 46 statistics
CultureAlaska · 77 statistics
LawWest Virginia · 58 statistics
PopulationAlaska · 123 statistics
Politics & GovernmentAlaska · 121 statistics
EnvironmentAlaska · 34 statistics
Crime & SafetyWest Virginia · 68 statistics
GeographyAlaska · 24 statistics

Biggest differences

The 30 statistics where their rankings differ most, among rankings of at least 26 US states.

Statistic	Alaska	West Virginia
Avg Income of Bottom 90% FamiliesIncome Inequality by State	$59,020 1st of 51	$25,014 51st of 51
COLI Misc. Costs IndexLeast Expensive States	118.9 50th of 51	90.2 1st of 51
Depression Rate Ages 0-14Mental Health Statistics by State	1,043 per 100k 2nd of 51	1,980 per 100k 51st of 51
MMR 2 Doses (Kindergarten)Vaccination Rates by State	84.3% 49th of 50	98.3% 1st of 50
Varicella 2 DosesVaccination Rates by State	82.6% 49th of 50	99.7% 1st of 50
Avg Annual SalaryDental Hygienists Salary by State	$115,510 1st of 51	$61,050 49th of 51
Avg Hourly WageDental Hygienists Salary by State	$55.53 1st of 51	$29.35 49th of 51
Depression RateMental Health Statistics by State	3,830 per 100k 3rd of 51	6,299 per 100k 51st of 51
DTaP 5 DosesVaccination Rates by State	83.8% 48th of 50	98.4% 1st of 50
Entry LevelHVAC Salary by State	$52,200 2nd of 50	$42,700 49th of 50
Polio 4 DosesVaccination Rates by State	84.4% 48th of 50	98.4% 1st of 50
Senior 4-6 YearsHVAC Salary by State	$70,700 2nd of 50	$57,600 49th of 50
Supervisor 7+ YearsHVAC Salary by State	$94,600 2nd of 50	$76,900 49th of 50
Mean Wind Speed at 33 ftWindiest States in the U.S.	9.04 mph 1st of 51	2.79 mph tied 48th of 51
NFIP Cost Difference From 2021Floods by State	-15.0% 1st of 47	11.0% tied 44th of 47
Average Credit Card DebtDebt by State	$5,250 50th of 51	$3,180 3rd of 51
Average Single-Parent Family IncomeSingle Mom Friendly States	$59,797 3rd of 51	$34,782 50th of 51
Death RateDeath Rate by State	754 per 100k 4th of 51	1,395 per 100k 51st of 51
Gross Earnings of Top 1%Percentage of Households Making Over $250,000 by State	$902,002 3rd of 51	$417,440 50th of 51
Income ScoreSingle Mom Friendly States	98.2 1st of 51	29.6 48th of 51
Excessive Drinking RateAlcohol Consumption by State	22.1% 48th of 50	11.4% 2nd of 50
Prisoners, American Indian/Alaskan NativePrison Population by State	1,790 47th of 49	2 2nd of 49
Annual Cost Of Comfortable RetirementAverage Retirement Income by State	$86,868 47th of 51	$58,190 1st of 51
COLI Overall IndexLeast Expensive States	123.8 47th of 51	84.1 1st of 51
Intermediate 2-4 YearsHVAC Salary by State	$63,000 4th of 50	$51,300 49th of 50
Police Pensions Avg. Annual PayPolice Pensions by State	$66,930 2nd of 50	$46,937 47th of 50
Avg. Annual Retirement Income (ZR)Average Retirement Income by State	$67,503 5th of 51	$48,525 50th of 51
Median Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$61,000 4th of 51	$45,300 49th of 51
GDP Growth by State	2.8% tied 4th of 50	0.5% tied 48th of 50
People of Similar Age RankBest States to Retire	48th 48th of 50	4th 4th of 50

See every statistic they shareSearch and sort all of them, adjust for cost of living or population, or add up to two more places.

Quick answers

Which is better, Alaska or West Virginia?: Alaska comes out ahead of West Virginia on 443 of 765 statistics where one end is better, to 314 with 8 ties. Alaska leads on Sports, Education and Health and 8 more categories. West Virginia leads on Travel, Agriculture and Infrastructure & Energy and 2 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Alaska or West Virginia?: Alaska has a population of 738,003 (48th of 51 US states) and West Virginia has 1,764,892 (39th of 51).
How do Alaska and West Virginia compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Alaska $92,788 (13th of 51), West Virginia $59,608 (50th of 51) among US states. Alaska ranks better.
How do Alaska and West Virginia compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Alaska 4.7% (tied 43rd of 51), West Virginia 4.2% (tied 30th of 51) among US states. West Virginia ranks better.
Where does Alaska beat West Virginia most clearly?: Alaska ranks far ahead on Avg Income of Bottom 90% Families (Income Inequality by State): $59,020 vs $25,014; Depression Rate Ages 0-14 (Mental Health Statistics by State): 1,043 per 100k vs 1,980 per 100k; Avg Annual Salary (Dental Hygienists Salary by State): $115,510 vs $61,050.
Where does West Virginia beat Alaska most clearly?: West Virginia ranks far ahead on COLI Misc. Costs Index (Least Expensive States): 90.2 vs 118.9; MMR 2 Doses (Kindergarten) (Vaccination Rates by State): 98.3% vs 84.3%; Varicella 2 Doses (Vaccination Rates by State): 99.7% vs 82.6%.

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