Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,096, settled in 1899.
Brush Fork’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for health. On the outdoors, just 4 of West Virginia’s 141 towns do worse. Brush Fork has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Brush Fork is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2017 and 5 maps from 1887 on.
Brush Fork is unincorporated, so Mercer 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Brush Fork.
Only 4 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Brush Fork. The share of adults in Brush Fork who say their health is fair or poor is 32%, against 24% in West Virginia’s towns and 19% across U.S. towns. Add to that, for adults locally, the share who feel lonely is 36%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Brush Fork beats West Virginia on 1 and trails on 15.
| Brush Fork | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Brush Fork | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.3% | 79.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 14.9% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Mercer County Schools runs its public schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. 171 students attend Brush Fork’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brushfork Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 171 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Federal aid has come to Brush Fork households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in just over three quarters of U.S. communities. 67% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 17%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
19% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia. People 65 and older are 31% of residents (21% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (20% statewide). In Brush Fork, the midpoint age is 47.7 years, above both the West Virginia town median (42.2 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years).
| Brush Fork | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.7 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 19% | 29% | 29% |
Somewhere between 39% and 70% women
The Census survey reached too few of Brush Fork’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±15.4 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Brush Fork | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 2.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.4% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.8% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.7% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.1% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 46.3% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.2% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.7% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.8% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.8% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 3 have a lower July high than Brush Fork. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 23° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among residents in Brush Fork, 9.2% live below the poverty line. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Brush Fork dropped by 82, to 301. The average trip to work for Brush Fork comes to 19 minutes. The top destinations are Princeton (14%), Bluefield (11%) and Bluefield (6%).
| Brush Fork | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of Brush Fork
About 11 of every 100 Brush Fork residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
1,197 counted in 2010 and 1,065 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Brush Fork (also spelled Brushfork) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. Brush Fork is 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Bluefield. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,065 (down from 1,197 at the 2010 census). The community takes its name from nearby Brush Fork creek which flows into the Bluestone River. The West Virginia National Guard Brushfork Armory is located in the community. In addition to its National Guard functions it also hosts basketball games for Bluefield High School, commencements for local colleges and high schools, and other events. The Armory received 1.9 million dollars in 2024 for the planning and design of a new readines…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the 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+.