West Virginia – it’s one of the oldest states in the nation, with its senior population expected to make up about 23% of the state’s total population by 2030, an increase from 16% in 2010.
This swiftly aging state calls for increasing numbers of healthcare administrators who can create and maintain the state’s efficient, accessible, and affordable hospital and healthcare systems. The number of healthcare administrators in West Virginia is expected to increase in the coming years to meet this demand, rising 14.9% between 2018 and 2028.
The median salary for healthcare administrators in West Virginia is $97,420. Its 90th percentile salary is a noteworthy $166,400.
Factors Influencing Job Growth Among West Virginia’s Healthcare Administrators
In the past, quality medical care usually meant leaving the state. But West Virginia has earned a reputation in recent years for its top-notch healthcare, which also includes an increased access to care. For example, according to the West Virginia Hospital Association, the Mountain State is home to 63 hospitals and health systems, and 30 of the state’s 55 counties have at least one hospital.
Like many other states, healthcare is a major driver of growth in West Virginia, contributing $9.8 billion to the economy and employing more than 44,000 people.
In 2022 the state’s proposed budget for its Department of Health and Human Resources amounted to $6.44 billion, underscoring its strong commitment to funding healthcare through the future.
One of the largest healthcare providers in the state, West Virginia University Medicine, operates dozens of hospitals and specialized medical institutions throughout the region, including the WVU Cancer Institute, the WVU Eye Institute, and the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. A new project for WVU Medicine is on the horizon, too: a $152 million expansion of Ruby Hospital that will add another 150 beds.
What Healthcare Administrators in West Virginia, and Where
As expected, the Morgantown metro region, home to the major health system of WVU Medicine, offers one of the state’s leading median salaries for healthcare administrators, with these professionals earning $98,920. That’s just behind the Parkersburg-Vienna area that offers the highest median salary at $105,470.
Coming in with the highest 90th percentile salaries in the state are the Huntington-Ashland and rural Northern regions of the state, offering salaries of $148,010 and $144,600, respectively.
Morgantown
- 25th percentile: $66,820
- Median: $98,920
- 90th percentile: NA
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
- 25th percentile: $74,530
- Median: $93,800
- 90th percentile: $148,010
Charleston
- 25th percentile: $78,810
- Median: $98,340
- 90th percentile: NA
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a full breakdown of salaries, by metro and non-metro region in West Virginia, as of 2020:
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Medical and Health Services Managers.
Job growth projections sourced from Workforce West Virginia and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2018-2028) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
Salary figures and job market projections represent state data, not school-specific information.
Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2021.