CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

37.75° N · 81.20° W · GEOID 5449564

MacArthur

Raleigh County, West Virginia · part of the Beckley, WV metro

Limited data population under 5,000

West VirginiaMacArthur, WVMacArthurMacArthur

The short answer

MacArthur is home to 1,493 people. Median household income is $35,650 a year and median rent is $791 a month, 26.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $160,800, about 4.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$791
42% below the median place
Median household income
$35,650
56% below the median place
Median home value
$160,800
50% below the median place
Unemployment
5.0%
2% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about MacArthur

  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $27,300 a year left, less than in 98% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 23 West Virginia places.
  • Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, household income rose 7.9% a year while rent rose -1.8%, so pay gained on rent more than in 97% of places its size. It is the lowest of 31 West Virginia places.
  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 22 West Virginia places.
  • 36.4% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 31 West Virginia places.
  • The median rent takes 26.6% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 88% of places its size. It is the highest of 31 West Virginia places.
01

Moving to MacArthur

Raleigh County loses about 0.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,114
Moved out2,127
Net−13

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Wyoming County, WV10397+6
Summers County, WV7081−11
Greenbrier County, WV60
Boone County, WV44

Within West Virginia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within West VirginiaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$47K
Leavers$50K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Raleigh County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
13.9% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Raleigh County report $46,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $50,000, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$31,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $791 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,169 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $160,800.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 8.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Marion, VA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Moved here in the past year1
13.9%
143% above the median place
Income of households moving in6
$46,785
34% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMacArthurAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year113.9%143% above
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-0.267% above
Income of households moving in6County figure$46,78534% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$49,98829% below
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax paid (median) is $845, 74% below the median place.

MacArthur26.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$31,640
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
26.6%
30% above the median place
Home price to income
4.5x
19% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
26%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$27,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in MacArthur, $791 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like MacArthur, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Marion, VA21.0% vs 26.6%n/aCompare
Princeton, WV20.4% vs 26.6%n/aCompare
Punxsutawney, PA22.0% vs 26.6%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in MacArthur.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to MacArthur? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax paid (median)1
$845
74% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,169
38% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.5%
42% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureMacArthurAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$79142% below
Rent to income126.6%30% above
Property tax rate10.5%42% below
Home price to income14.5x19% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure88.412% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$97240% below
Property tax paid (median)1$84574% below
Median home value1$160,80050% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure9.2%187% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure46.4%10% below
Homeownership184.0%27% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure54.1%7% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,16938% below
Vacant homes1County figure16.2%129% above
Median year built119730% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
36.4%
238% above the median place
Income per person1
$18,281
54% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMacArthurAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$35,65056% below
Income per person1$18,28154% below
Unemployment1County figure5.0%2% above
Average annual pay5County figure$55,48616% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure2.3%38% below
Jobs5County figure32,15379% below
Poverty rate136.4%238% above
Mean commute121 min16% below
Works from home1County figure8.4%32% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Homes with broadband1
59.6%
35% below the median place
Median age1
44.5
14% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher86.0% −7%
Household size2.4 −5%
No health insurance8.0% +25%
All 8 people measures
MeasureMacArthurAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,4936646th largest
Median age144.514% above
Bachelor's or higher1County figure22.5%30% below
High school or higher186.0%7% below
Household size12.45% below
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance18.0%25% above
Homes with broadband159.6%35% below
05

Life in MacArthur

11 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.4 +32%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k13.4 6.3×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −90%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.8 −24%
Shops43.2 +43%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.3 −20%
Doctors' offices and clinics28.7 +42%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k7
43.2
43% above the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7
28.7
42% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
15.8
24% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureMacArthurAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure27200% above
Public school students10County figure10,350111% above
Students per teacher10County figure13.115% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure15.824% below
Shops per 10k7County figure43.243% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure3.320% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure28.742% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure1.822% below
Parks per 10k813.432% above
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k813.4above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k80.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.290% below
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure1115% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 13.4, 85% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached MacArthur. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk12
13.4
85% below the median place
Tornado risk12
15.6
81% below the median place
July average high11
81°F
7% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureMacArthurAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure81°F7% below
January average low11County figure23°F9% below
Average temperature11County figure52°F5% below
Annual precipitation11County figure46.5 in6% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure65.529% below
Hurricane risk12County figure52.925% below
Tornado risk12County figure15.681% below
Wildfire risk12County figure75.123% above
Heat wave risk12County figure13.485% below
08

MacArthur in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 27% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 27% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$791/mo (2023)$1,010/mo$820 to $1,250/mo+3.6%
Median household income$35,650 (2024)$45,500$38,500 to $54,000+4.1%
Median home value$160,800 (2024)$221,000$160,000 to $304,000+5.4%

The median home would be worth 4.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like MacArthur

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Marion, VA$714$40,896Compare
Darlington, SC$840$33,952Compare
South Boston, VA$760$44,052Compare
Lake City, SC$702$33,600Compare
Lake City, SCSouth Boston, VADarlington, SCMarion, VAMacArthur, WVMacArthurDarlingtonLake CityMacArthurDarlingtonLake City

Common questions

Is MacArthur a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $27,300 a year left, less than in 98% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 23 West Virginia places. Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, household income rose 7.9% a year while rent rose -1.8%, so pay gained on rent more than in 97% of places its size. It is the lowest of 31 West Virginia places. On cost, space and class size it scores 17 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is MacArthur expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 26.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $160,800.

What salary do you need to live in MacArthur?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $31,640 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to MacArthur?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Marion, VA, Darlington, SC, South Boston, VA and Lake City, SC.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares MacArthur with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for MacArthur itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/macarthur-west-virginia

Citytistics. “MacArthur, West Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/macarthur-west-virginia/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.