Can A Police Officer Afford Rent in Follansbee, WV?

Comfortably affordable — rent takes 13.7% of gross income.

Follansbee rent: January 2026. Salary: BLS OEWS May 2024 (West Virginia state estimate).

Follansbee median rent
$750/mo
Police Officer salary (West Virginia)
$65,680/yr
Rent as % of income
13.7%
Gross monthly income works out to about $5,473, and the 30% rule supports up to $1,642/mo in rent. Follansbee's median rent of $750 leaves roughly $892/mo of headroom under that threshold. A police officer works roughly 23.8 hours a month to cover that rent.

About rent and a police officer salary

The gap between a police officer's base pay and the rent in the city they patrol is a widely tracked local affordability question. Many large-city departments now publish recruitment materials that include a local-rent comparison, because affordability has become a recruiting issue. At the national-average officer base pay, the 30% rule supports about $1,932 a month in rent. The per-city pages combine local rent with local officer-pay estimates to show where rent stays within that range.

Compare with full rent data for Follansbee

View full rent data for Follansbee, WV

Frequently asked questions

Can a police officer afford rent in Follansbee, WV?

Median rent in Follansbee is $750 a month. A typical police officer in West Virginia earns about $65,680 a year, which makes that rent 13.7% of gross monthly income. Under the 30% rule, the answer is yes.

How much rent can a police officer afford in Follansbee?

Using the 30% rule, a police officer salary in West Virginia (~$65,680/yr) supports up to $1,642 a month in rent. Follansbee's current median rent is $750/mo, which leaves a $892/mo buffer.

How many hours does a police officer work to cover rent in Follansbee?

At an hourly equivalent of about $32 an hour, a police officer in West Virginia works roughly 23.8 hours a month to cover Follansbee's median rent of $750.

Methodology: Salary uses the BLS-derived West Virginia state estimate from OEWS May 2024. Rent is the most recent ZORI monthly value for Follansbee, WV. Affordability applies the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income). Real take-home varies with taxes, household composition, overtime, tips, and benefits.