# Ritchie, West Virginia — #497 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.95 of 10. FIPS 54085. Population 8,167. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 8,200 people live in Ritchie, West Virginia. It ranks #497 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #1 of 55 in West Virginia. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.48% of a home's value each year, less than in 82% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 57% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 77% of counties. Life expectancy is about 73.5 years, shorter than in 71% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 55% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 42), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 67% 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 | 5.77 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 8.60 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 10.00 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.60 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 5.43 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 3.50 |  |
| Government employees | county | 5.59 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 9.34 |  |

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

## Neighbors

- #560 Wirt, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54105.md
- #726 Doddridge, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54017.md
- #1014 Calhoun, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54013.md
- #1166 Tyler, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54095.md
- #1696 Wood, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54107.md
- #1208 Gilmer, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54021.md
- #1022 Pleasants, West Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/54073.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/54085
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=54085
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy