# Putnam, West Virginia — #1,400 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.38 of 10. FIPS 54079. Population 56,962. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 57,000 people live in Putnam, West Virginia. It ranks #1,400 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #27 of 55 in West Virginia. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.59% of a home's value each year, less than in 67% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 86% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 55% of counties. Life expectancy is about 76 years, longer than in 52% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 66% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 44), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 80% 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 | 5.57 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.27 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.29 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.05 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 1.31 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 6.00 |  |
| Government employees | county | 8.60 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 4.31 |  |

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

## Neighbors

- #2040 Lincoln, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54043.md
- #2184 Mason, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54053.md
- #1642 Jackson, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54035.md
- #2578 Kanawha, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54039.md
- #2403 Cabell, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54011.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/54079
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=54079
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