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West Virginia Value:
Percentage of children ages 0-4 eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) who received WIC benefits in an average month
West Virginia Rank:
Percentage of children ages 0-4 eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) who received WIC benefits in an average month
72.9% - 59.5%
59.4% - 53.8%
53.7% - 48.5%
48.4% - 41.8%
41.7% - 33.5%
US Value: 52.2 %
Top State(s): Vermont: 72.9 %
Bottom State(s): Louisiana: 33.5 %
Definition: Percentage of children ages 0-4 eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) who received WIC benefits in an average month
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, National- and State-Level Estimates of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Eligibility and WIC Program Reach Report Series, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, National- and State-Level Estimates of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Eligibility and WIC Program Reach Report Series, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Children who live in food-insecure households are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes such as asthma, depression and forgoing necessary medical care. Hunger can also negatively impact a child’s academic performance.
The federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) has supported families across the United States for over 50 years. The program provides health care referrals, breastfeeding support, nutrition education and additional food to low-income women and children at risk of hunger. Eligible WIC participants can get coupons through the Farmers Market Nutrition Program to buy fresh produce from select farmers markets and stands closer to their homes, allowing more access to healthy foods with less travel time and expenses.
Pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and infants and children up to age 5 with low household incomes may be eligible to participate in the program. Only 54% of those eligible participated in 2022 due to various barriers, including misunderstanding the program, not having time away from work to apply, language or cultural barriers and difficulty with transportation.
Research from 2019 indicates that every $1 spent on WIC saves an estimated $2.48 in medical, educational and productivity costs.
WIC coverage rates are higher among:
The WIC program has been found to:
Developing partnerships with local hospitals and clinics to spread awareness about the WIC program could drastically increase the number of eligible people participating and combat misconceptions about WIC.
Key strategies to improve the success of the WIC program include:
Healthy People 2030 has a number of goals related to nutrition in children, including:
Carlson, Steven, and Zoë Neuberger. WIC Works: Addressing the Nutrition and Health Needs of Low-Income Families for More Than Four Decades. Policy Futures. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, January 27, 2021. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/wic-works-addressing-the-nutrition-and-health-needs-of-low-income-families.
Henchy, Geraldine. Making WIC Work Better: Strategies to Reach More Women and Children and Strengthen Benefits Use. Washington, D.C.: Food Research & Action Center, May 2019. https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/Making-WIC-Work-Better-Full-Report.pdf.
Kessler, Courtenay, Andrew Bryant, Kate Munkacsy, and Kelsey Farson Gray. “National- and State-Level Estimates of WIC Eligibility and WIC Program Reach in 2022.” U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service I (August 2024). https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/wic-eer-2022-report.pdf.
Nianogo, Roch A., May C. Wang, Ricardo Basurto-Davila, Tabashir Z. Nobari, Michael Prelip, Onyebuchi A. Arah, and Shannon E. Whaley. “Economic Evaluation of California Prenatal Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to Prevent Preterm Birth.” Preventive Medicine 124 (July 1, 2019): 42–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.04.011.
Thomas, Margaret M. C., Daniel P. Miller, and Taryn W. Morrissey. “Food Insecurity and Child Health.” Pediatrics 144, no. 4 (October 1, 2019): e20190397.https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-0397.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
