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Vital Statistics

​​​​​​Overview

The West Virginia Database Application for Vital Events (WV DAVE) is the primary registration system used by the Health Statistics Center (HSC) for vial events, including births, deaths, and fetal deaths. The legacy Vital Statistics System (VSS) is utilized by HSC for the collection and management of marriages, divorces, and induced termination of pregnancy (ITOP) records. The two most commonly used VSS data sources are birth certificates and death certificates. Births certificates are filed electronically by hospitals, birthing centers, and other authorized providers through WV DAVE. Death certificates are completed and transmitted to WV DAVE by authorized agents such as funeral directors, medical examiners, physicians, and hospitals. 

The Epidemiology Division Staff analyze data from WV DAVE and the VSS to produce state and county-level statistics as well as monitor demographic trends and key health indicators. The 2023 Vital Statistics Data Workbook was published in January 2026 and includes data on births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, and divorces. ITOP data is detailed in separate reports. Reports from previous years are accessible below.

Key Findings from the Vital Statistics Report (2023)

​​Resident births declined from 16,587 in 2022 to 16,474 in 2023. Births to teenage mothers also decreased. The proportion of births to unmarried mothers remains the same as 2022, with more than two out of every five births continuing to occur outside of marriage. Among unmarried mothers, paternity was established through affidavit in 72.6% of births in 2023, a decrease from 74.9% in 2022. In 2023, 81.7% of women received prenatal care during the first trimester, while 12.4% reported smoking during pregnancy. The percentage of low birthweight infants decreased from 10.0% in 2022 to 9.8% in 2023, and 34.9% of all resident births were delivered by cesarean section.

Resident deaths decreased from 27,507 in 2022 to 24,693 in 2023. The average age at death was 69.5 years for men and 74.7 years for women. Heart disease remained the leading cause of death for the eighth consecutive year, followed by cancer, accidents, and Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease. Together, these four causes accounted for 54.9% of all resident deaths. COVID-19 ranked ninth, with 492 deaths reported in 2023. Mortality from motor vehicle accidents remained the same as 2022 with 305 deaths.

The infant mortality rate decreased from 7.7 per 1,000 live births in 2022 to 5.8 in 2023, as infant deaths decreased from 127 to 96. The majority of infant deaths (85.4%) were attributed to perinatal conditions, congenital malformations, and Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Syndrome (SUIDS). The fetal death rate declined from 4.1 to 3.1 per 1,000 live births between 2022 and 2023, with all cases due to conditions originating in the perinatal period.

The number of marriages decreased from 10,903 in 2022 to 10,516 in 2023. Divorces increased from 5,436 in 2022 to 5,728 in 2023.​

West Virginia Vital Statistics Reports

The West Virginia Vital Statistics Report provides statistics on live births, deaths, fetal deaths, abortions, marriages, and divorces for a variety of users. The most recent West Virginia Vital Statistics Report is available below as well as previous reports.


Additional Annual Statistics from 2021 Forward are Available Below