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OZ 2.0 | State Resource

West Virginia

Public process

Last checked 2026-06-16

207

Total eligible tracts

207

Rural eligible

52

Max designations (25%)

1

Days to state deadline

Nomination process

The West Virginia Department of Economic Development (WVDED), appointed by Governor Morrisey to manage OZ 2.0, is accepting tract nominations from local economic development authorities, county commissions, and regional planning councils through July 1, 2026 — all three entity types are explicitly eligible to submit. Visit westvirginia.gov/oz for nomination instructions; if no dedicated OZ contact email is listed, call the WVDED main line at (304) 558-2234 and ask to be routed to the OZ 2.0 team. West Virginia must nominate 52 of 207 eligible tracts (25% statutory cap), all of which carry a rural designation under Notice 2025-50. Since all 207 eligible tracts are rural-designated, WVDED has not published a formal scoring rubric; the factors listed here — investment readiness, existing infrastructure, and development momentum — reflect standard practice in similar state processes and are not official WVDED guidance. Verify the submission format at westvirginia.gov/oz before submitting. Two considerations specific to West Virginia: (1) The energy transition context is real — coal-to-solar and data-center conversions in McDowell, Mingo, and Raleigh counties represent the primary near-term investment pipeline, but communities in these counties have experienced extraction-driven disinvestment for decades and warrant anti-displacement protections in any project commitments; (2) Given that the July 1 state deadline coincides with the federal nomination window opening, planners should treat June 15 as an internal target date to confirm submission readiness.

Application portal →

State deadline: 2026-07-01

Eligible tracts

Loading 207 eligible tracts…

View on EIG map → IRS appendix (XLSX) Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-14 · EIG DCI 2023 · FFIEC CRA 2025 · Urban Institute 2026
County Eligible tracts
Kanawha County 20
Cabell County 16
Monongalia County 12
Raleigh County 11
McDowell County 8
Greenbrier County 7
Mingo County 7
Ohio County 7
Wood County 7
Harrison County 6

Data context

56

Eligible tracts in EIG DCI top distress quintile

The EIG Distressed Communities Index (2019–2023) is referenced in many state scoring rubrics. Quintile 1 = most distressed. See whether OZ 1.0 reached the most distressed places →

8

Counties with eligible tracts designated USDA persistent poverty

Persistent poverty = 20%+ poverty rate in every census 1980–2010. Source: USDA ERS County Typology Codes (2015 edition). Relevant for USDA RD program eligibility and QROF rural bonus. See QROF rural bonus mechanics →

34

Prior NMTC investments in eligible OZ tracts

CDFI Fund NMTC Public Data Release (2024). Indicates prior CDFI capital deployment track record in these tracts. See how NMTC and OZ stack →

135

Eligible tracts with CRA designation (LMI or distressed/underserved)

Banks earn CRA credit for investing in low- or moderate-income tracts (Track 1), and in non-metropolitan middle-income tracts officially designated distressed or underserved by FFIEC (Track 2). When an OZ project sits in a CRA-eligible tract, bank capital can satisfy CRA obligations while generating OZ tax benefits. How CRA and OZ interact →

Cities: Huntington, Wheeling, Parkersburg, Charles Town, Morgantown and 212 more

ZIP codes: 25701, 25705, 25703, 26003, 25704 and 257 more

See all 217 cities and 262 ZIP codes

All cities:

Huntington, Wheeling, Parkersburg, Charles Town, Morgantown, Welch, Iaeger, Northfork, Logan, Fairmont, Beckley, Martinsburg, Delbarton, Williamson, Clay, Dunbar, Diana, Kiahsville, Davy, Dingess, Springfield, Spencer, South Charleston, Summersville, Duck, Elkhorn, Dunlow, Eckman, Elbert, Kyle, Paw Paw, Genoa, Romney, Holden, Richwood, Procious, Harts, Ranson, Ranger, Erbacon, Lenore, Charleston, Matewan, Bickmore, Birch River, Clendenin, Bluefield, Bomont, War, Camden On Gauley, Webster Springs, Green Spring, Tunnelton, Clarksburg, Thornton, Moorefield, Raleigh, Quinwood, Moundsville, Points, Mount Zion, Mohawk, North Matewan, Naoma, Naugatuck, Nebo, Premier, Omar, Newhall, Pineville, Newton, Paynesville, New Cumberland, New Richmond, Orma, Parsons, Newburg, Newtown, Newell, Panther, Pageton, Peach Creek, Accoville, Raysal, Wharton, Thorpe, Twilight, Upperglade, Varney, Warriormine, Wayne, Weston, Wharncliffe, White Sulphur Springs, Switzer, Whitesville, Whitman, Widen, Wilcoe, Wilkinson, Williamsburg, Wilsondale, Wyoming, Terra Alta, Switchback, Red Jacket, Saint Albans, Reedsville, Renick, Rock Creek, Rock View, Roderfield, Rosedale, Rowlesburg, Rupert, Sandstone, Sutton, Millstone, Saxon, Shenandoah Junction, Slanesville, Sophia, Spring Dale, Squire, Stollings, Moatsville, Lewisburg, Midway, Charmco, Chester, Chloe, Clear Creek, Coal City, Colcord, Cora, Cowen, Crab Orchard, Crawley, Cucumber, Dille, Dixie, Dorothy, Drennen, Dry Creek, East Lynn, Edgarton, Fenwick, Fort Gay, Chauncey, Chapmanville, Meadow Creek, Brenton, Amherstdale, Anawalt, Arnett, Arnoldsburg, Artie, Augusta, Avondale, Baisden, Bartley, Beaver, Benwood, Berwind, Big Creek, Big Sandy, Bim, Blair, Bob White, Bolt, Breeden, Frametown, Gary, Gilbert, Glen, Keslers Cross Lanes, Kimball, Kingwood, Kistler, Leslie, Levels, Alderson, Little Birch, Lizemores, Looneyville, Lyburn, Mabscott, Mac Arthur, Madison, Man, Matheny, Maybeury, Maysel, Meadow Bridge, Kermit, Kearneysville, Jesse, Great Cacapon, Glen Daniel, Glen Fork, Glen White, Gordon, Grafton, Grantsville, Granville, Grassy Meadows, Green Sulphur Springs, Jenkinjones, Hacker Valley, Hensley, Hinton, Independence, Indore, Isaban, Ivydale, Jane Lew, Yolyn

All ZIP codes:

25701, 25705, 25703, 26003, 25704, 24801, 26101, 24844, 25414, 25661, 25043, 25670, 24868, 26554, 25801, 26505, 25601, 25030, 26104, 25045, 25276, 25063, 25019, 25064, 26203, 25678, 25164, 26208, 25676, 25702, 25387, 25309, 25401, 25404, 26261, 25434, 25438, 25511, 25517, 25524, 25671, 25534, 25557, 25625, 26217, 24701, 26444, 24892, 24855, 26555, 26651, 24831, 24830, 24829, 26440, 24828, 26722, 26610, 26757, 26288, 26763, 26301, 25725, 25726, 25727, 25728, 25729, 25755, 25772, 25710, 25711, 26629, 26623, 25773, 25774, 26617, 25775, 26764, 25776, 26636, 25724, 25723, 25707, 25709, 26704, 25712, 25713, 26675, 26667, 25714, 25708, 25715, 25722, 25706, 25716, 25717, 25718, 25777, 25719, 25720, 25721, 26222, 26601, 25778, 25779, 25981, 25984, 25985, 25986, 26031, 26034, 26041, 26425, 26410, 26047, 26050, 26405, 26102, 26378, 26374, 26354, 26147, 26151, 26202, 26206, 26287, 25977, 26452, 25972, 26501, 26266, 25813, 25817, 26547, 26537, 26534, 26506, 25823, 25827, 25844, 25966, 25845, 25849, 25871, 25873, 25878, 25911, 25921, 25951, 25958, 25976, 25653, 25699, 25007, 24888, 24894, 24895, 24898, 24901, 24910, 24931, 24943, 24966, 24986, 24991, 25008, 24884, 25021, 25022, 25028, 25044, 25048, 25059, 25060, 25062, 25088, 25093, 25111, 24887, 24881, 25696, 24849, 24808, 24811, 24813, 24815, 24816, 24818, 24826, 24836, 24843, 24846, 24848, 24853, 24880, 24860, 24861, 24862, 24866, 24867, 24871, 24872, 24873, 24874, 24878, 24879, 25113, 25125, 25130, 25639, 25570, 25606, 25607, 25608, 25612, 25614, 25621, 25628, 25632, 25635, 25638, 25646, 25133, 25647, 25651, 25652, 25654, 25666, 25672, 25674, 25685, 25686, 25688, 25692, 25514, 25512, 25508, 25505, 25140, 25141, 25174, 25177, 25180, 25204, 25208, 25209, 25211, 25234, 25235, 25259, 25261, 25266, 25268, 25302, 25303, 25422, 25430, 25431, 25437, 25442, 25444, 26836

Look up a specific tract (FFIEC) → Source: FFIEC Census Flat File 2026, joined to IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-14 eligible tracts.

21

Eligible tracts in top investability quintile (Urban Institute model)

The Urban Institute investability model scores OZ-eligible tracts by predicted likelihood of attracting private capital, based on OZ 1.0 investment patterns. Quintile 1 = highest predicted investability among scored tracts. Not all tracts are scored — coverage reflects tracts with sufficient OZ 1.0 data.

How to influence the nomination

The submission window is open. Here's what to do:

  1. Review the full process in the Nomination process section above.
  2. Open the submission portal →
  3. File before the state deadline: 2026-07-01.
  4. Build your case: document census data, existing development assets, letters of support from partners, and community need.
  5. For coalition-building tactics and sample language, see how-to-advocate.
  6. For step-by-step nomination documentation guidance, see the Accelerator for America OZ Designation Toolkit →

Who to contact

West Virginia Department of Economic Development

https://westvirginia.gov/oz

(304) 558-2234

Certified CDFIs

14 certified CDFIs headquartered in West Virginia. CDFI Fund certified list →

Rural LISC

Rural LISC →

Native / tribal

West Virginia has no federally recognized tribes with current in-state reservations. The Appalachian region has significant Native American cultural and historical connections — the Cherokee Nation (OK) and Shawnee Tribe (OK) both have historic ties to West Virginia territory. For OZ 2.0 purposes, no formal tribal consultation protocol has been published by WVDED. If your jurisdiction has documented Native American archaeological or cultural sites, contact the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office (WVSHPO) at wvculture.org/shpo before submitting a nomination.

Eligible tract counts: IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-14 (April 6, 2026). Rural designation: Notice 2025-50, Section 4.01. Status tier last verified 2026-06-16. Full methodology.