American Rescue Plan Fact Sheet: Impact on West Virginia

by Joseph Robinette Biden

The Need for Action in West Virginia

The pandemic and the associated economic crisis have had a severe impact on West Virginia. The need for action is clear:

• Since the pandemic began, more than 133,445 people have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 2,325 people have died.
• The unemployment rate is 6.7%, up from 5.1% before the pandemic.
• Since February 2020, more than 21,358 fewer people are employed.
• 139,000 adults – 12% of all adults in the state – report not having enough food to eat. This includes 43,000 adults living with children, or 9% of all adults living with children, who report that the children in their household do not have enough to eat.
• An estimated 44,000 renters or 17% of renters are not caught up on rent.
• An estimated 441,000 adults or 34% of all adults statewide report having difficulty covering normal household expenses.

The Effect of the American Rescue Plan on West Virginia

President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will provide West Virginia with:

• $1.6 billion in state fiscal relief
• $624 million in local fiscal relief
• More than $779 million in relief for K-12 schools
• Economic impact payments of up to $1,400 per person (above the $600 per person provided in December) for more than 1,242,300 adults and 427,900 children. This is 94% of all adults in the state and 93% of all children in the state.
• Additional relief of up to $1,600 per child through the Child Tax Credit to the families of 346,000 children, lifting 23,000 children out of poverty
• Additional relief of up to nearly $1,000 through the Earned Income Tax Credit to 111,000 childless workers, including many in frontline jobs
• Marketplace health insurance premiums that are $2,247 lower per month for a 60-year old couple earning $75,000 per year