According to the census of 1940, West Virginia had a total population of 1,901,974 residents, and in 2020, that number had been reduced to 1,793,716. To put this in perspective, recognize that the United States total population in 1940 was a bit over 132 million peoples, and in 2020 that population had grown to nearly 331.5 million peoples; yet, somehow, alone amongst all other States, West Virginia, lost population. The thing about West Virginia, is that this is the only State in the Union, which is entirely covered by the Appalachians, and the Appalachians have historically been known as an impoverished and backward section of America – which probably has a lot to do with the geography of the Appalachians, which though beautiful, is also heavily wooded and mountainous. Additionally, West Virginia, consists to a very large extent of an abundance of rural areas of modest population centers, often somewhat isolated, and because West Virginia also lacks the lure of having a big cosmopolitan city, those that are adventurous, motivated, and driven, are more inclined to leave West Virginia for greener pastures and opportunity; thereby leaving behind those that are often less educated, less mobile, and less inclined to move on.
Further to the reason for West Virginia’s population decline, is that, despite its abundant resources in regards to coal, forestry, and agriculture, the actual property of most intrinsic value in many of these areas, are often owned and controlled by corporate or outside interests, as compared to that same valuable land being owned by those that are its residents. Additionally, communities, that lack labor power in regards to blue-collar type of work, are going to typically make less money and have less benefits, than those that have been able to negotiate with their employer through the strength of the union or similar, so as to get themselves a better pay package, or that alternatively work in higher paying white-collar type of work. In other words, to a very large extent, the poverty and thereby the decline of the population in West Virginia can be fairly attributed to the fact that the people that reside there, make poor wages which goes along also with it having less of its residents on average, so obtaining a Bachelor’s degree or better, in comparison to the average percentage obtaining such in the United States, in whole.
In short, West Virginia, lacks the type of industry that is on the rise, as well as the diversity, culture, and opportunity, that would have a tendency to first of all bring in future residents, as well as because of the lack of these very things, this lends itself thereby to West Virginia losing some of its best and brightest to other States, which seemingly have much more to offer. That said, West Virginia, is affordable from a real estate and cost of living perspective, and in an era in which more and more white-collar jobs permit people to work remotely, could conceivably thereby bring a renaissance of educated professionals to West Virginia, but alas this probably won’t; mainly because West Virginia lacks the necessary infrastructure to lure in well-educated people, because of its lack of first-rate universities, culture, entertainment, and the like. This signifies that the road ahead for West Virginia is going to continue to be difficult, and in absence of West Virginia making some fundamental changes to its structure, this is going to essentially mean that West Virginia will continue to stagnate.