WO ₃ thin film surface chemical composition has been studied by means of high resolution soft X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Valence band and W 4f core levels have been analyzed on different sample positions and high lateral resolution images have been acquired. The valence band spectra have shown for the first time a marked increase of the W 5d density of state at the Fermi level, indicating the presence of metallic tungsten on the surface. This has been confirmed by the W 4f signal, which presents both metallic and oxidized phases. For the first time, spectromicroscopy on core states has clearly evidenced the presence of nonstoichiometric areas and a spatial localization of W ⁴⁺ states on the surface.