Overall
87.1
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
Cost-of-living indicators for Parkersburg-Vienna, WV, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 87.1
- Overall RPP
- #352
- of 387 metros
- 45.9
- Rents RPP
- $115K
- $100K national buys
Parkersburg ranks #352 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Waterloo-Cedar Falls
The verdict
Parkersburg costs less than 91% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 87.1, 12.9% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 45.9.
- bottom 9%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 92.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $114,855 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $87,066.
Parkersburg vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
87 Bottom 9% higher than 9% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Parkersburg cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
45.9 RPP
- Services
Services
92.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
87.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.3 RPP
What this shows Parkersburg's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 45.9 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 92.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Parkersburg's cost comes from
Metros near Parkersburg's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Parkersburg (Parkersburg, this metro): goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 45.9
- Waterloo: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 63.1
- Minot: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 63.2
- Laredo: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 59.7
- Lafayette: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 58.8
- Decatur: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 58.1
- Dubuque: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 64
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.3
Below avg
Services
92.9
Below avg
Rents
45.9
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Parkersburg's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Parkersburg: rents index at 45.9, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 87.1.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Charleston, WV, Wheeling, WV-OH, Beckley, WV. They resemble Parkersburg across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Parkersburg's overall index has stayed within 0.0 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$87,066
in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,533
$75,000 nationally
$65,300
$125,000 nationally
$108,833
$150,000 nationally
$130,599
$200,000 nationally
$174,132
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
99/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
99th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Parkersburg's overall RPP fell -1.0 points, from 88.0 in 2023 to 87.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 50.2 to 45.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2021, when the index jumped 3.5 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Parkersburg overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 87.0 |
| 2009 | 86.3 |
| 2010 | 87.0 |
| 2011 | 88.5 |
| 2012 | 91.6 |
| 2013 | 91.7 |
| 2014 | 90.6 |
| 2015 | 92.7 |
| 2016 | 92.7 |
| 2017 | 91.2 |
| 2018 | 89.6 |
| 2019 | 88.0 |
| 2020 | 86.2 |
| 2021 | 89.7 |
| 2022 | 87.2 |
| 2023 | 88.0 |
| 2024 | 87.1 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Parkersburg's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Charleston, WV
Goods 96.3 · Services 91.7 · Rents 51.4 Wheeling, WV-OH
Goods 96.4 · Services 94.9 · Rents 51.4 Beckley, WV
Goods 96.3 · Services 91.8 · Rents 52.2 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
Goods 96.4 · Services 95.0 · Rents 52.4 Wildwood-The Villages, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 89.0 · Rents 51.7 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 85.8 · Rents 47.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Parkersburg-Vienna, WV's index of 87.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
WV-relative analysis
Goods prices places Parkersburg-Vienna, WV near the bottom of WV's metros
Among the 7 WV metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Parkersburg-Vienna, WV ranks #4 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Parkersburg-Vienna, WV only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#4 of 7
0th percentile in WV
Services prices
#3 of 7
57th percentile in WV
Rent prices
#7 of 7
0th percentile in WV
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within WV only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Parkersburg-Vienna, WV: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (87.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (45.9 here).
Other WV Metros
Morgantown, WV 93.3 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 89.0 Charleston, WV 88.7 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 88.4 Beckley, WV 88.4 Wheeling, WV-OH 88.3
View all WV metros → Cheapest in WV → Most expensive in WV →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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What this means for Parkersburg
How to read Parkersburg's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $114,855 in Parkersburg. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 45.9, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Parkersburg head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV?
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 87.1, meaning it is 12.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 92.9, and rents at 45.9. It ranks #352 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $87,066 in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV. Conversely, $100K earned in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV has the purchasing power of $114,855 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV?
Rents in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV are indexed at 45.9, which is 54.1% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Parkersburg-Vienna, WV getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Parkersburg-Vienna, WV's overall cost index changed by +0.0 points (from 87.0 to 87.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV?
The priciest category in Parkersburg-Vienna, WV is goods at 96.3, 3.7% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 45.9, 54.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Parkersburg-Vienna, WV?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Minot, Laredo. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Parkersburg-Vienna, WV's 87.1.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.