Row of modern Buffalo Trail Cabins in, 2015
Bluewell’s story
Bluewell in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 5 maps from 1911 on.
Explore the history →BluewellWV
A town of 1,992.
Population
1,992
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$126K
Census ACS
Household income
$35K
median
Median age
67.5
years
Jobs based here
308
A commuter town
Is Bluewell a good place to live?
The best of Bluewell’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher median age than Bluewell. Bluewell has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Bluewell for work
Where Bluewell’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
308jobs based in Bluewell
1%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Bluewell grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Bluewell is from typical.
HealthPrinceton Community Hospital Assn 8.6 miles awayD−Open →Jobs & incomeDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.4 of 20; 1.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Bluewell: who provides what
Bluewell is unincorporated, so Mercer County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAppalachian Power17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBluewell PSD2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMercer CountyMercer County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn West Virginia you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMercer Clerk of the County CommissionMercer County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes24701, 2473724701 90% · 24737 10%Census 2020
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 Bluewell.
Who lives here
54% of residents are 65 or older
16% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia. 27% never finished high school.
67.5median age · WV 42.7
BluewellWest VirginiaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
33%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma27%
High school34%
Some college16%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s15%
Graduate1%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Bluewell | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.7% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.8% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.7% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.8% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.5% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 33.4% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 26.7% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.7% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.4% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.6% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 1.3% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,000, single groups can be off by several points
SchoolsC−
Public schools in Bluewell fall behind 79% of West Virginia districts
Its public schools are run by the Mercer County Schools. Its one school is below.
21%of WV districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluewell Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 167 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
HealthD−
Residents of Bluewell are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns
Bluewell beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 23% of Bluewell adults smoke cigarettes, against 18% in West Virginia’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Bluewell.
3%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Bluewell | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
32 measures vs. West Virginia
0 better30 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Bluewell | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 12.7% | 10.6% |
| More adults with arthritis | 41.7% | 37.7% |
Princeton Community Hospital Assn
8.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Bluewell’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Bluewell for work: only 1% work in town. The median household income in Bluewell is $35,000. Since 2013, Bluewell has lost 68 jobs, to 308 in 2023.
1%work in town
| Bluewell | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $35,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Bluewell1%
Princeton12%
Bluefield12%
Bluefield6%
Charleston3%
10 mi
median commute distance
308
jobs based in Bluewell
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Bluewell
Bluewell has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Bluewell’s July high is 81°F.
35″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–44°
Spring40–63°
Summer58–80°
Fall42–64°
Oct 22
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Bluewell faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1992, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bluewell.
67risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
32
paid flood claims since 1992
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A
A home in Bluewell sells for about $122K at the median
$122Kmedian sale price
2
homes sold in March
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bluewell
16pages on Bluewell
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bluewell
Bluefield State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Bluefield3.5 mi$10,648 in-state tuitionBluefield UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Bluefield, VA4.9 mi$26,770 tuition
About 4 of every 100 Bluewell residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
About Bluewell
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Bluewell, West Virginia is an unincorporated census-designated place on U.S. Route 52 in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 2,162 (slightly down from 2,184 at the 2010 census). It is the terminus of West Virginia Route 20. The community has no post office, its residences being a part of Bluefield for postal purposes. Its name is derived from being halfway between Bluefield and Bramwell. The community is adjacent to Pinnacle Rock State Park. It has become an active spot for Pocahontas Trail ATV riders of the Hatfield-Mcoy Trail system with many business catering to them.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,595 ft
Questions about Bluewell
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bluewell, WV expensive?
Not for the area. That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($50,550 across the Bluefield, WV-VA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.