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USDA eligibility map: West Virginia

About 99.3% of West Virginia's area is in USDA-eligible rural areas, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA Rural Development's published eligibility map, the 8th highest share among the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. 45 of 55 counties have no ineligible area at all. 20 Census places in West Virginia lie mostly inside ineligible areas, including Wheeling city, Weirton city, Huntington city, Charleston city and Morgantown city.

99.3%
of the area is USDA eligible (estimate)
172
square miles mapped ineligible
45 of 55
counties with no ineligible area
20
Census places mostly ineligible

Check a West Virginia address

USDA eligible area by county

The share of each county's area that is USDA eligible, and the places (cities, towns and census-designated places) at least half inside ineligible areas. These are estimates; check any single property with the lookup.

USDA eligible share of area and mostly ineligible places by county in West Virginia
countyArea eligibleMostly ineligible places
Barbour County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Berkeley County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Boone County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Braxton County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Brooke County92.3%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Cabell County92.6%Huntington city, Pea Ridge CDP
Calhoun County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Clay County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Doddridge County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Fayette County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Gilmer County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Grant County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Greenbrier County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Hampshire County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Hancock County87.4%Weirton city
Hardy County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Harrison County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Jackson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Jefferson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Kanawha County93.6%Charleston city, South Charleston city, St. Albans city, Dunbar city, Jefferson CDP, Institute CDP, West Dunbar CDP, Malden CDP
Lewis County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lincoln County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Logan County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Marion County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Marshall County99.9%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Mason County100%None: the whole county is eligible
McDowell County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Mercer County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Mineral County99.0%Wiley Ford CDP, Ridgeley town
Mingo County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Monongalia County93.7%Morgantown city, Star City town
Monroe County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Morgan County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Nicholas County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Ohio County72.9%Wheeling city, Bethlehem village, Clearview village
Pendleton County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Pleasants County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Pocahontas County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Preston County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Putnam County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Raleigh County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Randolph County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Ritchie County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Roane County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Summers County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Taylor County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Tucker County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Tyler County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Upshur County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Wayne County99.7%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Webster County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Wetzel County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Wirt County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Wood County95.6%Parkersburg city, Vienna city
Wyoming County100%None: the whole county is eligible

How USDA decides what is rural

The rural-area definition is section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490): open country and places not part of or associated with an urban area with up to 2,500 people, up to 10,000 if rural in character, or up to 20,000 outside a metropolitan statistical area with a serious lack of mortgage credit for lower and moderate-income families. Areas that lost rural status in the 1990 to 2020 censuses stay rural until 2030 census data arrive if they have 10,000 to 35,000 people and meet the same conditions. Income is a separate test, applied to the household by the lender and USDA.

For other address-level designations in West Virginia, the free census tract lookup shows the income level and QCT and DDA status, and West Virginia has 55 designated Opportunity Zone tracts (Opportunity Zone lookup).

Questions

Is West Virginia eligible for USDA loans?

Much of it is. About 99.3% of the state's area is outside USDA's ineligible areas (172 of about 24,212 square miles are ineligible). 45 counties are entirely eligible. Most people live in the larger towns, which are often ineligible, so check the specific address.

Which West Virginia counties have the least USDA eligible area?

Ohio County (72.9% eligible), Hancock County (87.4% eligible), Brooke County (92.3% eligible), Cabell County (92.6% eligible), Kanawha County (93.6% eligible). The share is of land area, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA's map; eligibility is decided for each property.

Which West Virginia towns are not eligible for USDA loans?

Places USDA's map shows as mostly inside an ineligible area include Wheeling city, Weirton city, Huntington city, Charleston city, Morgantown city, Parkersburg city and Wiley Ford CDP. The county table on this page lists every place that is mostly ineligible. Edges matter: part of a town, or land just outside it, can be on the other side of the line, so check the address.

How do I check a West Virginia address for USDA eligibility?

Enter the street address in the lookup on this page. It locates the address and checks it against USDA's published rural eligibility map. It is a screening: Rural Development makes the final determination on a complete application, and household income is a separate test (USDA's income eligibility tool).

When was the USDA eligibility map for West Virginia last updated?

The ineligible areas on USDA's map for West Virginia carry an effective date of July 25, 2023. USDA updates the map from ineligible-area changes sent in by its state offices. The statute keeps formerly rural areas of 10,000 to 35,000 people rural until data from the 2030 census arrive, if they still meet its conditions.

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Legal references

Areas are computed by HeritageDeed: estimates, not USDA figures. USDA's map is not a final determination; Rural Development decides on a complete application. HeritageDeed is not affiliated with USDA.

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