There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in West Virginia that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Mountain State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within West Virginia’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Bridgeport, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of West Virginia according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Bridgeport. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in West Virginia as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
45.6 median age · 31.0% married households · #2 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Harrison County, West Virginia
Bridgeport is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 8,149 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
44.5 median age · 34.0% married households · #6 oldest in West Virginia
New Martinsville is a city in Wetzel County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 5,366 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wetzel County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
44.5 median age · 38.0% married households · #6 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Putnam County, West Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
41.4 median age · 37.0% married households · #15 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Fayette County, West Virginia
Oak Hill is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States and is the primary city within the Oak Hill, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area. The micropolitan area is also included in the Beckley-Oak Hill, WV Combined Statistical Area. The population was 7,730 at the 2010 census. Country singer Hank Williams was discovered to be dead while the car in which he was a passenger was stopped in Oak Hill, and Oak Hill is generally accepted to be his place of death.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
45.0 median age · 33.0% married households · #5 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Mercer County, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area, which has a population of 107,342.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
44.2 median age · 29.0% married households · #8 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Mercer County, West Virginia
Princeton, often referred to as the “Jewel of the South,” is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 6,432 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342. The town hosts the Princeton Rays baseball club of the Appalachian League.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
41.2 median age · 36.0% married households · #16 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Putnam County, West Virginia
Hurricane is a city in Putnam County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 6,284 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
44.1 median age · 37.0% married households · #9 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Marshall County, West Virginia
Moundsville is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia metropolitan area. The population was 9,318 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. The city was named for the nearby ancient Grave Creek Mound, constructed 250 to 100 BC by indigenous people of the Adena culture.
Moundsville was settled in 1771 by English colonists Samuel and James Tomlinson. Fostoria Glass Company was headquartered in Moundsville from 1891 to 1986. The retired West Virginia State Penitentiary operated in Moundsville from 1867 to 1995.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.4 median age · 16.0% married households · #1 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Hancock County, West Virginia
Weirton is a city in Brooke and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located primarily in Hancock County, the city lies in the northern portions of the state’s Northern Panhandle region. As of the 2010 census, the city’s population was 19,746. It is a principal city within the Weirton-Steubenville Metropolitan Area, which had a population of 124,454 residents, and by extension part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
45.2 median age · 35.0% married households · #4 oldest in West Virginia
Located in
Kanawha County, West Virginia
St. Albans is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers. The population was 11,044 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is West Virginia’s statewide median.
On the map
Where the quiet settles in West Virginia
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Mountain State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in West Virginia. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every West Virginia city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in West Virginia.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In West Virginia For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgeport | 7.00 | 9,252 | 45.6 | 31.0% | 20.0% |
| 2 | New Martinsville | 7.70 | 5,133 | 44.5 | 34.0% | 28.8% |
| 3 | Nitro | 7.70 | 6,853 | 44.5 | 38.0% | 24.8% |
| 4 | Oak Hill | 7.80 | 7,937 | 41.4 | 37.0% | 29.3% |
| 5 | Bluefield | 8.00 | 9,387 | 45.0 | 33.0% | 24.9% |
| 6 | Princeton | 8.80 | 5,736 | 44.2 | 29.0% | 26.4% |
| 7 | Hurricane | 8.80 | 6,855 | 41.2 | 36.0% | 34.4% |
| 8 | Moundsville | 9.00 | 7,869 | 44.1 | 37.0% | 30.8% |
| 9 | Weirton | 9.60 | 18,647 | 47.4 | 16.0% | 21.1% |
| 10 | St. Albans | 10.00 | 10,522 | 45.2 | 35.0% | 26.1% |
| 11 | Charleston | 10.40 | 47,421 | 43.0 | 29.0% | 22.3% |
| 12 | Wheeling | 11.00 | 26,350 | 45.4 | 27.0% | 23.1% |
| 13 | South Charleston | 12.20 | 13,457 | 41.7 | 28.0% | 24.7% |
| 14 | Beckley | 12.90 | 16,818 | 42.3 | 22.0% | 31.8% |
| 15 | Parkersburg | 13.60 | 29,240 | 42.2 | 28.0% | 24.1% |
| 16 | Dunbar | 14.20 | 7,254 | 42.9 | 28.0% | 16.9% |
| 17 | Vienna | 14.90 | 10,518 | 40.4 | 37.0% | 24.0% |
| 18 | Clarksburg | 15.40 | 15,549 | 40.4 | 25.0% | 23.5% |
| 19 | Martinsburg | 16.10 | 18,904 | 37.4 | 12.0% | 31.0% |
| 20 | Elkins | 16.30 | 6,811 | 40.5 | 25.0% | 22.3% |
| 21 | Buckhannon | 16.60 | 5,116 | 32.8 | 20.0% | 30.2% |
| 22 | Fairmont | 17.80 | 18,221 | 34.9 | 29.0% | 20.8% |
| 23 | Huntington | 20.90 | 45,787 | 34.7 | 22.0% | 22.1% |
| 24 | Morgantown | 23.30 | 30,236 | 23.9 | 12.0% | 15.6% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 24 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since West Virginia isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in West Virginia are Bridgeport, New Martinsville, Nitro, Oak Hill, Bluefield, Princeton, Hurricane, Moundsville, Weirton, and St. Albans.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in West Virginia, according to science.
