Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,185, settled in 1812.
The best of Buffalo’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and schools; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 10 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score higher on cost of living. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 2 have a higher share of households owning their home than Buffalo. Gen. John McCausland House and Gen. John McCausland House (Boundary Increase) is on the National Register of Historic Places. Buffalo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Buffalo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Elementary School | PK–5 | 195 |
| Buffalo High School | 9–12 | 382 |
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 Buffalo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 268 in 1860, a low of 238 in 1890, 1,211 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1906 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Buffalo, and how to reach them.
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 Buffalo.
Its public schools are run by the Putnam County Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Buffalo High School, with 382 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 195 | B− |
| Buffalo High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 382 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
44% of Buffalo adults sleep under 7 hours, above both West Virginia’s towns (40%) and U.S. towns (36%). 47% of Buffalo adults have high blood pressure. Buffalo beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Buffalo | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 44% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Buffalo | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 51.4% | 55.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 89% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Buffalo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Buffalo for work: only 1% work in town. 20% of Buffalo residents live below the poverty line, against 16% in West Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Buffalo has added 73 jobs, to 168 in 2023.
| Buffalo | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Buffalo has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 24° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Buffalo home is worth about $169,000, down 1.7% in a year, close to the West Virginia typical home. Buffalo’s median rent is $546 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Buffalo; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Buffalo residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
Where Buffalo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in West Virginia, United States
Buffalo is a town in Putnam County, West Virginia, United States, located along the Kanawha River. The population was 1,211 at the time of the 2020 census It is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area.
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+.
2 notable people were born here, including William O. Atkeson and Samantha Jane Atkeson Morgan.