# Preston, West Virginia — #1,155 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.51 of 10. FIPS 54077. Population 34,099. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 34,100 people live in Preston, West Virginia. It ranks #1,155 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #21 of 55 in West Virginia. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.46% of a home's value each year, less than in 84% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 61% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 61% of counties. Life expectancy is about 74.2 years, shorter than in 64% of counties. Air quality is better than in 75% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 36), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 54% of counties. On this site's state scores, West Virginia gets 5.5 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 5.50 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.36 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.80 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 7.98 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.70 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 4.04 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 4.20 |  |
| Government employees | county | 6.04 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 5.20 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #509 Barbour, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54001.md
- #2307 Garrett, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24023.md
- #2275 Fayette, Pennsylvania — https://libertymoving.org/counties/42051.md
- #935 Taylor, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54091.md
- #1263 Monongalia, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54061.md
- #1080 Tucker, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54093.md
- #604 Grant, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54023.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/54077
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=54077
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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