Big SandyWV
A town of 113, settled in 1900.
Is Big Sandy a good place to live?
No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Big Sandy. Big Sandy has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
113 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Big Sandy: who provides what
Big Sandy is unincorporated, so McDowell 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 Big Sandy.
The schools Big Sandy’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the McDowell County Schools. Its one school is below. 112 students attend Big Sandy’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 112 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
The biggest natural risk in Big Sandy is inland flooding, at a very high overall level
Expected losses in Big Sandy break down as 72% from inland flooding and 22% from cold waves. The FEMA hazard score for Big Sandy comes to 94 of 100. Federal aid has come to Big Sandy households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2025.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Big Sandy sends most of its workers out of town
The top destinations are Welch (28%), Iaeger (3%) and Bluefield (3%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 14 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Big Sandy
Summers in Big Sandy are warm, and winters chilly. Summer afternoons peak near 85° in July, and January nights bottom out around 25°; snowfall runs to about 20 inches a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with most of West Virginia and the rest of the country, more of Big Sandy’s adults say their health is fair or poor
78% of Big Sandy adults had a checkup this year. No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Big Sandy. In Big Sandy, 25% of adults report frequent physical distress, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 17% and U.S. towns at 14%. Only one of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare has a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Big Sandy.
| Big Sandy | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 18% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 41% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Big Sandy | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8% | 9.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 56.9% | 19.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Big Sandy has set aside 2.4% of its land for conservation
Big Sandy has one park or preserve, 9 acres in all.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tug Fork Wildlife Management Area | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Big Sandy
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Big Sandy; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Big Sandy residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
100% of working residents leave Big Sandy for work
Where Big Sandy’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Big Sandy
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Big Sandy is a census-designated place (CDP) located in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 198 (up from 168 at the 2010 census). The town's name comes from the Big Sandy River, a major tributary of the Ohio River which forms the boundary between West Virginia and Kentucky.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,132 ft
- ZIP code
- 24816
Questions about Big Sandy
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Big Sandy, WV a good place to live?
Big Sandy has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.