Population

Wheeling

26,670

Bay City

32,445

Median Income

Wheeling

$48,498

Bay City

$47,904

Home Value

Wheeling

$142,500

Bay City

$89,900

Rent

Wheeling

$795

Bay City

$739

Crime Rate

Wheeling

9.83

Bay City

5.64

Cost of Living

Wheeling

80.5

Bay City

78.4

Avg Temp

Wheeling

N/A

Bay City

N/A

Unemployment

Wheeling

6.6%

Bay City

6.5%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Wheeling & Bay City?

Bay City is Wheeling's #18 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Wheeling

26,670

vs

Bay City

32,445

Different · 18% difference

Bay City has a 18% larger population than Wheeling.

Violent Crime

Wheeling

9.83

vs

Bay City

5.64

Different · 43% difference
🚨

Wheeling has a 43% higher violent crime than Bay City.

Property Crime

🔒

Wheeling

19.92

vs

Bay City

18.68

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.

Political Leaning

Wheeling

74.1%

vs

Bay City

56.7%

Different · 23% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican, but Wheeling has a stronger Republican lean (23% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Wheeling

6.6%

vs

Bay City

6.5%

Match · 0% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 0% difference.

Median Income

Wheeling

$48,498

vs

Bay City

$47,904

Match · 1% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Wheeling

$142,500

vs

Bay City

$89,900

Different · 37% difference

Wheeling has a 37% higher home values than Bay City.

Education

Wheeling

23.5%

vs

Bay City

12.8%

Different · 46% difference
🎓

Wheeling has a 46% higher education than Bay City.

Demographics

🌍

Wheeling

89.4%

vs

Bay City

86.5%

Match · 3% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.

Cost of Living

Wheeling

80.5

vs

Bay City

78.4

Match · 3% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Wheeling and Bay City share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Wheeling

vsof 8

0

Bay City

Bay City leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Bay City leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Bay City scores 70.5 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 78.4 in Wheeling. Wheeling scores 74.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 81.7 in Bay City. Wheeling has a fair market rent (2br) of $991 vs $1,030 in Bay City.

Overall Cost Index

Wheeling80.5
Bay City78.4

Housing Index

Wheeling78.4
Bay City70.5

Food Index

Wheeling87.1
Bay City86.6

Transportation Index

Wheeling74.1
Bay City81.7

Healthcare Index

Wheeling89.7
Bay City89.3

Utilities Index

Wheeling87.9
Bay City86.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Wheeling$35,413
Bay City$34,514

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Wheeling$83,704
Bay City$81,577

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Wheeling$816
Bay City$814

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Wheeling$991
Bay City$1,030

Housing Market — Bay City leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Wheeling has a median home value of $142,500 vs $89,900 in Bay City (59% higher). Bay City has a vacancy rate of 10.0% compared to 15.4% in Wheeling. Wheeling has a median property tax of $907 vs $1,710 in Bay City (47% lower).

Median Home Value

Wheeling$142,500
Bay City$89,900

Median Rent

Wheeling$795
Bay City$739

Median Property Tax

Wheeling$907
Bay City$1,710

Owner-Occupied

Wheeling59.6%
Bay City68.5%

Vacancy Rate

Wheeling15.4%
Bay City10.0%

Single-Family Homes

Wheeling67.0%
Bay City77.7%

Jobs & Economy — Wheeling leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bay City: 16,080 vs Wheeling: 12,023 for labor force. Wheeling has a per capita income of $35,997 vs $29,756 in Bay City (21% higher). Wheeling has a poverty rate of 19.4% compared to 21.5% in Bay City.

Median Household Income

Wheeling$48,498
Bay City$47,904

Per Capita Income

Wheeling$35,997
Bay City$29,756

Poverty Rate

Wheeling19.4%
Bay City21.5%

Unemployment Rate

Wheeling6.6%
Bay City6.5%

Labor Force

Wheeling12,023
Bay City16,080

Mean Commute

WheelingN/A
Bay City19 min

Work from Home

Wheeling6.9%
Bay City6.8%

Private Sector

Wheeling91.3%
Bay City84.6%

Government Sector

Wheeling43.4%
Bay City40.5%

Crime & Safety — Bay City leads

Source: FBI UCR

Bay City has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.48 compared to 5.59 in Wheeling. Bay City has a assault rate (per 1k) of 4.17 compared to 8.75 in Wheeling. Wheeling has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.06 in Bay City.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Wheeling9.83
Bay City5.64

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Wheeling19.92
Bay City18.68

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Wheeling0.00
Bay City0.06

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Wheeling0.54
Bay City0.34

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Wheeling8.75
Bay City4.17

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Wheeling5.59
Bay City2.48

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Wheeling13.22
Bay City13.88

Violent Crime Clearance

Wheeling32.2%
Bay City56.7%

Property Crime Clearance

Wheeling14.9%
Bay City15.3%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

WheelingN/A
Bay CityN/A

Avg Annual High

WheelingN/A
Bay CityN/A

Avg Annual Low

WheelingN/A
Bay CityN/A

Sunny Days per Year

WheelingN/A
Bay CityN/A

Annual Rainfall

WheelingN/A
Bay CityN/A

Annual Snowfall

WheelingN/A
Bay CityN/A

Avg Humidity

WheelingN/A
Bay CityN/A

Schools & Education — Wheeling leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Wheeling has a bachelor's degree or higher of 23.5% compared to 12.8% in Bay City. Wheeling has a high school diploma or higher of 46.8% compared to 37.7% in Bay City.

Public Schools

Wheeling0
Bay City0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

WheelingN/A
Bay CityN/A

Colleges & Universities

Wheeling0
Bay City0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Wheeling23.5%
Bay City12.8%

High School Diploma or Higher

Wheeling46.8%
Bay City37.7%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bay City has a population of 32,445, about 1.2x the size of Wheeling (26,670). Bay City skews younger with a median age of 39.7 vs 44.8.

Population

Wheeling26,670
Bay City32,445

Median Age

Wheeling45
Bay City40

Avg Household Size

Wheeling2.1
Bay City2.2

Married Population

Wheeling35.5%
Bay City32.9%

Foreign Born

Wheeling2.6%
Bay City1.8%

White

Wheeling89.4%
Bay City86.5%

Black

Wheeling4.4%
Bay City2.7%

Hispanic

Wheeling1.5%
Bay City10.7%

Asian

Wheeling0.3%
Bay City0.5%

Wheeling

Bay City

Healthcare — Bay City leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Bay City: 5 vs Wheeling: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Wheeling5
Bay City5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Wheeling2.0
Bay City2.0

With Emergency Services

Wheeling4
Bay City5

Transportation & Commute — Wheeling leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Wheeling has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 0.6% in Bay City. Wheeling has a bicycle of 0.7% compared to 0.2% in Bay City. Bay City has a drive alone of 80.5% compared to 77.1% in Wheeling.

Mean Commute Time

WheelingN/A
Bay City19 min

Drive Alone

Wheeling77.1%
Bay City80.5%

Public Transit

Wheeling2.4%
Bay City0.6%

Bicycle

Wheeling0.7%
Bay City0.2%

Work from Home

Wheeling6.9%
Bay City6.8%

Airports

Wheeling0
Bay City0

Cities Similar to Wheeling, WV

Compare Wheeling against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

Explore These Cities

Compare Different Cities