The typical owner-occupied home in Lester is worth about $89,400, 45% below the West Virginia median of $162,600 and 73% below the national median of $332,700. 74% of occupied homes here are lived in by their owners, and 10% of those owners still have a mortgage.
Lester at a glance
| Lester | West Virginia | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $89,400 | $162,600 | $332,700 |
| Median property tax paid per year | – | $865 | $3,119 |
| Median household income | – | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 74% | 75% | 65% |
| Owner homes with a mortgage | 10% | 46% | 61% |
| Median monthly costs, owners with a mortgage | $950 | $1,255 | $1,963 |
| Those costs as a share of the owners' income | 30.8% | 17.3% | 21.0% |
| Median rent | $850 | $872 | $1,413 |
| Rent as a share of renters' income | 39.3% | 29.4% | 30.6% |
| Median year homes were built | 1983 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Vacant homes | 13.6% | 15.4% | 10.1% |
| People below the poverty line | 41.4% | 16.7% | 12.5% |
| Population | 377 | 1,778,373 | 334,922,499 |
Household budgets and debt in Lester
In Lester, the typical owner with a mortgage spends 30.8% of household income on housing and the typical renter spends 39.3%. Above 30% is generally considered cost-burdened, which leaves less room for other debts.
41.4% of residents live below the federal poverty line, compared with 16.7% in West Virginia.
If debts are getting hard to manage, the usual options, from mildest to most serious, are: a budget and a call to your lenders to ask for a hardship plan; a debt management plan through a nonprofit credit counselor, which can lower interest rates; a debt consolidation loan or, for homeowners, a cash-out refinance or home equity loan; debt settlement, where a company negotiates to pay less than you owe; and bankruptcy.
Under the Federal Trade Commission's rules, debt settlement companies can't charge a fee until they have settled at least one of your debts. Settling can hurt your credit and forgiven debt may be taxable, so compare it with credit counseling first. Time limits for collectors to sue differ by state and by type of debt; check with your state attorney general or a lawyer before relying on one.
Homeowners can sometimes pay off high-interest debt with their home's equity. With the median Lester home worth $89,400 and 90% of owners mortgage-free, many owners have equity to draw on, but it turns unsecured debt into debt secured by your home.
Questions about debt relief in Lester
What is the median home value in Lester?
About $89,400 for owner-occupied homes, according to the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey.
More about Lester
- Mortgage Refinance in Lester
- Home Buying in Lester
- Home Equity Loans in Lester
- Guides and quotes for mortgage refinance on our sister site, MortgageRefinance.com
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates; Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week of November 12, 2026. Estimates for small places have wide margins of error. About our data