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
In West Virginia, this town has 1,992 residents.
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 age of the median resident 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 & incomeAmong the weakest of the towns comparedDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.4 of 20; 1.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $126K, 2.5 years of the Bluefield area’s $51K median household incomeAOpen →SchoolsGraded on exam and test resultsC−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
West Virginia has 24% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 16%. 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 one school is below. The Mercer County Schools runs its public schools. Bluewell’s only public school teaches 167 students.
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
The share of adults in Bluewell who smoke cigarettes: 23%. 19% of adults in Bluewell report frequent physical distress; 32% have been diagnosed with depression.
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
Bluewell’s middle household income is $35,000. Just 1% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Employers in Bluewell shed 68 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 308. The top destinations are Princeton (12%), Bluefield (12%) and Bluefield (6%).
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
Bluewell has four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 81° and January nights of 23°, with about 35 inches of snow a winter.
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
The biggest natural risk in Bluewell is inland flooding, at a high overall level
Since 1992, Bluewell has seen 32 flood insurance claims paid out. Compared with two thirds of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is higher. Expected losses in Bluewell break down as 75% from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
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 disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A
A home in Bluewell sells for about $122K at the median
The typical rent in Bluewell is $728 a month. Bluewell: 64% of households live in a home they own.
$122Kmedian sale price
| Bluewell | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $728 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 68% | 73% |
2
homes sold in March
Census ACS, 2020–24 · 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. The typical home is worth about $126,000, 29% below the West Virginia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.