Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,307, platted in 1813.
Barboursville's standout: it has 30 miles of trail and 25% conserved land. Overall it grades C−, 48th of 61 graded towns in West Virginia. It is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 25% of the land in Barboursville is conserved, above both the West Virginia town median (2.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Barboursville has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Thornburg House and Barboursville Historic District. Among 61 West Virginia towns, just 4 have a lower median age than Barboursville.
Where Barboursville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 341 in 1860, 4,456 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2000 and 5 maps from 1901 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Barboursville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barboursville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Barboursville.
Barboursville draws workers from Huntington and beyond, is one of West Virginia’s best towns for the outdoors and looks healthier within West Virginia than nationally.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #2 of 61 in West Virginia.
At 7.2 miles per square mile, Barboursville’s trail density is above both West Virginia’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is Barboursville City Park, 702 acres with 27.9 miles of trail. More trails than any other town in West Virginia.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Barboursville City Park | 27.9 mi | 702 |
| 2. Nancy Cartmill Gardens | — | 2 |
| 3. Barboursville Skate Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Cabell County Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barboursville Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 697 | A− |
| Village Of Barboursville Elementary SchTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 565 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
5,280 jobs are based in Barboursville, 3.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Barboursville for work: only 11% work in town. 19% of Barboursville residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Barboursville fell to 5,280 in 2023, 1,137 fewer than in 2013.
| Barboursville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within West Virginia it is healthier than 55% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
Barboursville tracks West Virginia closely on all 32 CDC measures. 43% of adults have obesity in Barboursville.
| Barboursville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 41% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 44% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1978, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Barboursville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Property crime runs at 27.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the West Virginia rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in Barboursville is 27.9 per 1,000 residents. Within West Virginia, it does better than 54% of towns.
| Barboursville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.9 per 1,000 residents | 16.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Barboursville has chilly winters and warm summers. Only 4 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher July high than Barboursville.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Barboursville home is worth about $213,000, up 3.3% in a year, 20% above the West Virginia typical home.
| Barboursville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,037 a month | $874 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Barboursville. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Theme parkCamden Park
24 mi National forestWayne National Forest
8 mi MuseumHuntington Museum of Art
38 mi Park & preserveMcClintic Wildlife Management Area
33 mi Ancient siteCriel Mound
10 mi MuseumHeritage Farm Museum and VillageCamden Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Wayne National Forest: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain · Huntington Museum of Art: Daderot, CC0 · McClintic Wildlife Management Area: Steve from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Criel Mound: David G. Simpson, Public domain · Heritage Farm Museum and Village: Zeo1989, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Barboursville
About 5 of every 100 Barboursville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
25.1% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
3 places in Barboursville on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Barboursville.
Village in West Virginia, United States
Barboursville is a village in Cabell County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 4,456 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Barboursville.
| Town | WV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barboursville | #48 | C− | B− | C | B− | D |
| Pea Ridge | #27 | C+ | B | — | B− | C |
| Huntington | #56 | D | B | D | B− | D− |
Pea Ridge reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Barboursville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Barboursville grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #48 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D for health, C for safety and B− for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within West Virginia, it does better than 54% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
Barboursville was platted in 1813 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 5 notable people were born here, including Catherine Shipe East and George Baumgardner. Its 30 miles of trails, 7.2 per square mile, are the densest network of any West Virginia town.
