Article Table Of Contents
You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in West Virginia, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Mountain State and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that's all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in West Virginia based on numbers--not opinions or hearsay.
We'll dive right into our methodology in the next section; but first, we thought you might just want to know which places in West Virginia ranked the based--you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in West Virginia for 2022.
The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In West Virginia For 2022
What's the best small town in West Virginia? Williamstown is the best small town in West Virginia based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Williamstown, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you--keep reading and we'll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Mountain State check out:
- Best Places To Live In West Virginia
- Cheapest Places To Live In West Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia
The 15 Best Small Towns In West Virginia For 2022
/10
Population: 2,901
Median Income: $71,442 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $145,200 (24th Best)
More on Williamstown: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,232
Median Income: $57,599 (28th Best)
Median Home Value: $195,200 (8th Best)
More on Barboursville: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,163
Median Income: $87,683 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $143,800 (26th Best)
More on Mineralwells: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,034
Median Income: $57,500 (29th Best)
Median Home Value: $102,700 (57th Best)
More on Bethany: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,531
Median Income: $64,779 (17th Best)
Median Home Value: $168,400 (12th Best)
More on Glen Dale: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,468
Median Income: $71,042 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $164,200 (14th Best)
More on Bethlehem: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,657
Median Income: $80,610 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $330,900 (1st Best)
More on Shepherd: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,256
Median Income: $72,310 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $81,600 (85th Best)
More on Lavalette: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,086
Median Income: $51,450 (40th Best)
Median Home Value: $194,200 (10th Best)
More on Star City: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,165
Median Income: $53,994 (35th Best)
Median Home Value: $161,600 (16th Best)
More on Pleasant Valley: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,465
Median Income: $64,625 (18th Best)
Median Home Value: $166,300 (13th Best)
More on Eleanor: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,272
Median Income: $77,000 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $199,300 (7th Best)
More on Bolivar: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,974
Median Income: $68,547 (15th Best)
Median Home Value: $157,900 (19th Best)
More on Blennerhassett: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,133
Median Income: $69,432 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $205,200 (4th Best)
More on Winfield: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,538
Median Income: $67,054 (16th Best)
Median Home Value: $203,600 (5th Best)
More on Pinch: Data | Homes For Sale
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In West Virginia
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which, there were a lot - 125 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 125, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in West Virginia. Top of that list -- Williamstown. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns in West Virginia.
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once and we'll say it again -- this list: it's just science. We did the research, we crunched the numbers, and it turns out, these 15 small towns in West Virginia are the best, in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in West Virginia:
- Mount Gay-Shamrock
- Newell
- Richwood
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In West Virginia
- Safest Places In West Virginia
- Worst Places To Live In West Virginia