Each year, roughly 9.8% of West Virginia students graduate with degrees in healthcare. That means an estimated 5,147 healthcare professionals graduate from West Virginia's 64 healthcare schools each year.

Top Schools

The top-ranked school in West Virginia with a healthcare program is Marshall University, which is located in Huntington. In 2010, it was ranked 38th nationwide. 347 students graduated with a degree in healthcare from Marshall University in 2010. Marshall University charged in-state students $5,285 in tuition fees per year.

Ohio Valley University, which was ranked 41st nationwide in 2010, is the second-ranked school in West Virginia that has a healthcare program. It is located in Vienna. In 2010, 3 students graduated from Ohio Valley University healthcare program. Ohio Valley University charged in-state students $17,910 in tuition fees per year.

The third-ranked school in West Virginia that has a healthcare program is Concord University. Concord University, which was ranked 42nd in the country in 2010, is located in Athens. In 2010, Concord University graduated 8 students from its healthcare programs. The tuition rate at Concord University was $4,974 per year.

Cost

If you choose to attend a West Virginia healthcare school, average tuition will be $5,700 per year. However, tuition at your particular institution may range from $2,064 per year to $24,980 per year. The West Virginia healthcare schools with the highest tuition rates in 2010 were:

1. Wheeling Jesuit University - located in Wheeling, students are charged $24,980 per year
2. University of Charleston - located in Charleston, students are charged $24,700 per year
3. West Virginia Wesleyan College - located in Buckhannon, students are charged $23,980 per year

The lowest tuition rates at West Virginia healthcare schools were charged at the following schools:

1. Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College - located in Moorefield, students are charged $2,064 per year
2. West Virginia University at Parkersburg - located in Parkersburg, students are charged $2,076 per year
3. Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College - located in Mount Gay, students are charged $2,122 per year

A healthcare degree from a West Virginia school... what next?

healthcare graduates in West Virginia can go into a variety of professions such as office manager, clinical social worker, teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped, fitness and wellness coordinator, and nurse epidemiologist. If you decide to work as a healthcare professional in West Virginia, you will be joining the ranks of approximately 36,060 West Virginia healthcare professional as of 2010. This number includes 300 clinical instructors, 1,810 office managers, and 890 clinical social workers. The West Virginia counties with the largest populations of healthcare professional are:

1. Boyd County - 8,040 healthcare professionals
2. Boone County - 7,670 healthcare professionals
3. Barbour County - 5,650 healthcare professionals

Projected Growth

The government projects that, by 2018, the number of healthcare professionals in the state of West Virginia will grow to 40,300. This would require a 15% growth in the field.

Salary

On average, healthcare professionals earn a salary of $66,805 per year in West Virginia state. However, this number is only an average. Healthcare professional in West Virginia had varying salaries from $15,730 to $141,600 per year in 2010. The following counties in West Virginia have the highest average salaries for healthcare professionals:

1. Belmont County - $63,719 per year
2. Boone County - $62,969 per year
3. Barbour County - $62,835 per year

The West Virginia counties with the lowest average salary for healthcare professionals are:

1. Monongalia County - $54,707 per year
2. Fayette County - $57,217 per year
3. Boyd County - $58,402 per year

On average, the highest paid healthcare professionals in West Virginia were:

1. Plastic Surgeon - $216,010 per year
2. Allergists And Immunologist - $177,280 per year
3. Pediatrician - $159,890 per year

On average, the lowest paid healthcare professionals in West Virginia were:

4. Certifed Medical Assistant - $22,960 per year
5. Physical Therapy Aide - $22,400 per year

More Information

For more data regarding a career in healthcare in West Virginia and to compare salaries with various related fields such as x ray technology or ultrasound technology, take a look at the graphs and charts below.