BeaverWV
A town of 695, settled in 1935.
Is Beaver a good place to live?
Beaver has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Beaver has shrunk 14% from 2010 to 2020
1,308 counted in 2010 and 1,129 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Beaver. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
13 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
16 mi MuseumThurmond
4 mi MuseumPhillips-Sprague Mine
39 mi MuseumLost World Caverns
13 mi National park siteBluestone National Scenic River12K visitors a yearPhoto credits
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: NKS22, Public domain · The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve: Lisa Strader, CC BY 2.0 · Thurmond: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Phillips-Sprague Mine: Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lost World Caverns: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bluestone National Scenic River: Dave Bieri, Public domain
Moving to Beaver: who provides what
Beaver is unincorporated, so Raleigh County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Beaver.
Beaver stands out in West Virginia and nationally: the median household income there is lower
In Beaver, 15% of residents live below the poverty line. The average commute for Beaver comes to 36 minutes, above both West Virginia’s towns (21 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Beaver grew to 665 in 2023, 321 more than in 2013. Half commute less than 5 miles.
| Beaver | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $31,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 14% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 16% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Compared with most of West Virginia and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Beaver is cooler
Winters in Beaver are chilly, snowy and summers pleasant. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 23° and about 56 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Beaver is
The share of adults in Beaver who had a checkup this year: 81%. The town does better than the West Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 1. A third of adults locally have been diagnosed with depression; 18% report frequent physical distress. Only 4 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Beaver.
| Beaver | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 33% |
| What stands out | Beaver | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.4% | 19.5% |
| Fewer adults screened for colon cancer | 61.8% | 66.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Beaver: inland flooding
On expected storm and flood damage, Beaver sits below 57% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 83% come from inland flooding. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 7 declared disasters, most recently in 2025.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Beaver
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Beaver
About 0 of every 100 Beaver residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
695 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
About Beaver
Unincorporated community in West Virginia, United States
Beaver is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,129 at the 2020 census. Beaver is home to the Southern Regional Jail, which serves the states southern counties of Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,156 ft
- ZIP code
- 25813
Questions about Beaver
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Beaver, WV a good place to live?
Beaver has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.