ChelyanWV
Population 564: a town settled in 1893.
Is Chelyan a good place to live?
63% of residents live below the poverty line in Chelyan, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Chelyan. Chelyan has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
564 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Chelyan: who provides what
Chelyan is unincorporated, so Kanawha 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 Chelyan.
In Chelyan, the median age runs lower than in the typical West Virginia or U.S. town
A bachelor’s degree or higher: 27% of adults 25 and older, vs 24% across West Virginia. Adults 35 to 64 are 13% of residents (38% statewide); children under 18 are 45% of residents (20% statewide).
| Chelyan | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 24.9 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 0% and 74% women
The Census survey reached too few of Chelyan’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±40.4 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Chelyan | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 34.9% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 24.8% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 0% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 0% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.1% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.1% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 36.8% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.3% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 3.6% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.1% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Chelyan stands out in West Virginia and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is higher
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Chelyan after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 96% come from inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Chelyan’s workers commute out
Jobs based in Chelyan fell to 99 in 2023, 90 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Charleston (36%), South Charleston (9%) and St. Albans (3%). Half commute less than 16 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Chelyan
Summer afternoons peak near 86° in July, and January nights bottom out around 26°; snowfall runs to about 32 inches a winter. Expect chilly, snowy winters and warm summers in Chelyan.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Chelyan is
In Chelyan, 19% of adults report frequent physical distress. Of 32 CDC measures, Chelyan beats the West Virginia average on 1 and trails it on 1. Only 4 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Chelyan.
| Chelyan | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 44% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
| What stands out | Chelyan | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 59.1% | 55.5% |
| More adults with high blood pressure | 48% | 44% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chelyan. Close and well known come first.
20 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
17 mi Ancient siteCriel Mound
29 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve12 mi MuseumWest Virginia State Museum
28 mi MuseumThurmond
19 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a yearPhoto credits
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: NKS22, Public domain · Criel Mound: David G. Simpson, Public domain · The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve: Lisa Strader, CC BY 2.0 · Thurmond: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
Everything we know about Chelyan
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Chelyan
About 6 of every 100 Chelyan residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
100% of working residents leave Chelyan for work
Where Chelyan’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Chelyan
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chelyan, WV a good place to live?
Chelyan has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.