West Virginia has highest population exodus in the country

West Virginia has had the highest population exodus in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 2010, West Virginia’s population was 1.85 million. Fast-forward to 2020, and the population is 1.79 million people, the Census Bureau reported.

The 3.2 percent population drop caused the state to lose a congressional seat and marked one of the country’s biggest population declines over the past decade, The Associated Press reported.

There are multiple reasons for the exodus, including high poverty rates, low pay, lack of opportunities and poor internet connection, according to the AP.

The poverty rate in West Virginia is 16 percent, according to the Census Bureau, one of the highest in the U.S.

The Census Bureau also found that only 76 percent of West Virginians have a broadband internet subscription and that only 20 percent of the state’s population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.

West Virginia is offering $12,000 and free outdoor activities to remote workers who move to the state in an attempt to reverse the population losses, the AP noted.

Along with people moving out of the state, West Virginia has seen more deaths than births in the last 20 years, the National Center for Health Statistics reported.