Slower Sundays
Find my cities
Morgantown, Morgantown, WVZoshua Colah / Unsplash

Moving to Morgantown, West Virginia

Morgantown pays new residents up to $12,000 through Ascend West Virginia: Morgantown Area. Here is what life costs in Monongalia County, home of Morgantown, where people work, what there is to do, and remote jobs you can bring with you.
  • $12,000Paid to move hereAscend West Virginia: Morgantown Area
  • $267,700Typical home value1Monongalia County
  • $987Typical rent1Utilities included
  • 107,991Population+2.1% since 2020

By Sol Lakein.Checked November 4, 2026.How we compare costs

Get paid to move to Morgantown

Tap a program for who qualifies, how it pays, whether it is open and the official link.

Every program in West Virginia

Made the move: Kimberly in Morgantown

A real move, as reported in the news. Slower Sundays is not affiliated with this person or the program.
Morgantown, Morgantown, WVZoshua Colah / Unsplash

From the news

Kimberly moved to Morgantown from Pennsylvania

“We've always been huge into the outdoors”

Kimberly grew up in West Virginia and came back from Pennsylvania through Ascend, drawn by the outdoor lifestyle around Morgantown. She now spends her free time trail running and works out of the program's Morgantown coworking space.

Source: NPR, July 2026

Did you know?

Morgantown's Personal Rapid Transit, running since October 1975, was the first large-scale automated guideway transit system in the United States and covers 8.7 miles between five stations.

Source: West Virginia University PRT, read November 2026

A fact about Morgantown

What it costs to live in Morgantown

Monongalia County next to West Virginia and the US.1
MeasureMonongalia CountyWest VirginiaUnited States
Typical home value$267,700$162,600$332,700
Monthly owner costs with a mortgage$1,557$1,255$1,963
Typical rent, with utilities$987$872$1,413
Typical household income$65,346$59,608$80,734
Homes lived in by their owners57.9%74.9%65.2%
Households with broadband90.2%86.1%91.0%
Average commute, one way21 min27 min26 min

On the typical home here, the mortgage comes to about $1,471 a month2.

Current home prices, rent and weather for Morgantown

Jobs and work in Monongalia County

  • 50,567Jobs at local employers2023, -0.3% vs 2022
  • 2,481Employer businesses2023
  • 6,824Self-employed businessesNonemployer firms, 2024
  • 90.2%Households with broadbandUS: 91.0%

63.6% of residents 16 and older are in the labor force, the average commute is 21.0 minutes, and 48.9% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree1,3. Builders pulled permits for 22 new homes in 2025.

Remote jobs you can do from Morgantown

1 of Morgantown's 1 program requires a full-time remote job. These are current remote openings for people living in the US.

Loading current remote jobs.

Things to do in Morgantown

Notable places in Monongalia County, by type.4

Parks, lakes and the outdoors

  • Cheat Lake
  • West Virginia Botanic Garden
  • Riverside Park
  • Saint Markellas Park
  • Suncrest Park

Museums, theaters and libraries

  • Camp Rhododendron
  • Chancery Hill Historic District
  • Downtown Morgantown Historic District
  • Metropolitan Theatre
  • Monongalia Arts Center

Colleges and universities

  • West Virginia University College of Law
  • College of Business and Economics
  • West Virginia University School of Dentistry

Sports and recreation

  • Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
  • Morgantown Municipal Ice Arena

Thinking about Morgantown? Get the free moving guide

12 pages: what a move costs, hiring movers safely, an 8-week checklist and how to apply for programs like these.

Get the guide

Moving to Morgantown: questions people ask

Does Morgantown pay you to move there?

Yes. Ascend West Virginia: Morgantown Area: $12,000 cash. Each program has its own rules, status and official link on its page, checked October 30, 2026.

How much does it cost to live in Morgantown?

In Monongalia County, the median owner-occupied home is valued at $267,700 and median gross rent is $987 a month (US Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). West Virginia: $162,600 and $872. United States: $332,700 and $1,413. With 20% down at 7.32%, principal and interest on a home at the county median value come to about $1,471 a month (our arithmetic).

Is Morgantown a good place to live?

It depends on what you need. On the numbers: home values in Monongalia County are below the US median, household income is below the US median, and the population grew 2.1% from April 2020 to July 2025 (US Census Bureau). Visit before you decide.

Can I work remotely from Morgantown?

90.2% of households in Monongalia County have a broadband subscription (US: 91.0%; ACS 2020-2024). 1 of the 1 local program requires a full-time remote job.

What is there to do in Morgantown?

Notable places in Monongalia County include Cheat Lake, West Virginia Botanic Garden, Camp Rhododendron, Chancery Hill Historic District, West Virginia University College of Law. The full list by type is on this page (Wikidata).

Other West Virginia towns that pay you to move

Notes on the numbers
  1. 1Costs and people: US Census Bureau QuickFacts, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates (dollars in 2024 terms), read November 4, 2026. "Typical" is the median. Census figures cover all homes and renters, not just recent sales or new leases. QuickFacts
  2. 2Mortgage: principal and interest on the county's typical home value with 20% down at 7.32% (Freddie Mac 30-year fixed average, week of October 22, 2026), our arithmetic. Rate source
  3. 3Jobs and businesses: US Census Bureau QuickFacts, County Business Patterns 2023, Nonemployer Statistics 2024, Building Permits Survey 2025, ACS 2020-2024.
  4. 4Things to do: notable places from Wikidata (CC0), read November 4, 2026. Know a place we should add? Email hello@slowersundays.com.
Sources for this page