These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In West Virginia

Do you live in one of the most miserable places in West Virginia?

According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in West Virginia – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

But, we were curious – which West Virginia cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.

After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Mountain State:

1. Martinsburg (Photos)
2. Wayne
3. Keyser (Photos)
4. Ripley
5. Grafton (Photos)
6. Huntington (Photos)
7. Weston
8. Princeton (Photos)
9. Williamson
10. Spencer

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.

Oh, and by the way, Bethlehem is the happiest place in West Virginia.

Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.

If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In West Virginia

In order to rank the unhappiest places in West Virginia, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.

So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

• Percentage of residents with a college degree
• Average commute times
• Unemployment rates
• Cost of living
• % of married couples
• % of home owners
• Poverty rate

After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in West Virginia with over 2,000 people.

We then ranked each place from one to 50 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).

Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In West Virginia’.

If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.

1. Martinsburg

Population: 17,508
People Who Own Their Home: 44.35%
Married Adults: 40.44%

2. Wayne

Population: 2,032
People Who Own Their Home: 47.44%
Married Adults: 40.56%

3. Keyser

Population: 5,350
People Who Own Their Home: 40.92%
Married Adults: 28.68%

4. Ripley

Population: 3,259
People Who Own Their Home: 54.86%
Married Adults: 38.04%

5. Grafton

Population: 5,179
People Who Own Their Home: 61.62%
Married Adults: 35.3%

6. Huntington

Population: 49,053
People Who Own Their Home: 43.57%
Married Adults: 34.03%

7. Weston

Population: 4,088
People Who Own Their Home: 48.8%
Married Adults: 41.45%

8. Princeton

Population: 6,387
People Who Own Their Home: 50.45%
Married Adults: 40.97%

9. Williamson

Population: 3,118
People Who Own Their Home: 42.19%
Married Adults: 40.34%

10. Spencer

Population: 2,303
People Who Own Their Home: 44.84%
Married Adults: 46.06%

There You Have It

Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more West Virginia reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In West Virginia According To Science
• These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In West Virginia
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia

Detailed List Of Miserable Places In West Virginia

City	Rank	People Who Own Their Home
Martinsburg	1	44.35%
Wayne	2	47.44%
Keyser	3	40.92%
Ripley	4	54.86%
Grafton	5	61.62%
Huntington	6	43.57%
Weston	7	48.8%
Princeton	8	50.45%
Williamson	9	42.19%
Spencer	10	44.84%
White Sulphur Springs	11	47.86%
Morgantown	12	33.86%
Buckhannon	13	49.65%
Petersburg	14	44.1%
Beckley	15	47.68%
Parkersburg	16	52.43%
Dunbar	17	55.59%
Elkins	18	53.81%
Moundsville	19	60.53%
Clarksburg	20	55.19%
Charles Town	21	48.57%
Oak Hill	22	61.31%
Fairmont	23	57.71%
Wheeling	24	53.48%
Milton	25	55.0%
Point Pleasant	26	56.84%
Lewisburg	27	55.88%
Charleston	28	53.03%
Cross Lanes	29	63.3%
Weirton	30	63.04%
Fayetteville	31	76.16%
Madison	32	59.86%
Harrisville	33	61.18%
Bluefield	34	54.94%
Inwood	35	78.04%
New Martinsville	36	63.0%
Brookhaven	37	71.4%
Chester	38	54.1%
Sissonville	39	85.26%
Pea Ridge	40	52.09%
Vienna	41	70.29%
South Charleston	42	63.86%
Williamstown	43	70.0%
Winfield	44	78.12%
Nitro	45	61.93%
Hurricane	46	68.71%
Teays Valley	47	76.24%
Bridgeport	48	72.66%
Cheat Lake	49	72.31%
Bethlehem	50	79.89%