Coal CityWV
Home to 724 people, the town was settled in 1930.
Is Coal City a good place to live?
Coal City’s average commute is 40 minutes, above both the West Virginia town median (21 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare, none has a higher median age than Coal City. Coal City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
724 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Coal City: who provides what
Coal City is unincorporated, so Raleigh 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 Coal City.
The schools Coal City’s kids attend
The largest public high school is Independence High School, with 597 students. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Raleigh County Schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 401 | A− |
| Independence High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 597 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
The typical home in Coal City is valued at about $105K
83% of Coal City households own their home. Home values are down 1.3% over the year to September 2026.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Coal City stands out in West Virginia and nationally, with the median household income lower than most
Just 2% of Coal City’s working residents have a job in town. Among residents locally, 24% live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Beckley (24%), Charleston (5%) and Sophia (4%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 10 miles.
| Coal City | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $20,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A typical July afternoon in Coal City is cooler than in most of West Virginia or the rest of the country
Summers in Coal City are pleasant, and winters chilly, snowy. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 23° and about 56 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
High risk in Coal City, with inland flooding at the top
Households in Coal City have drawn federal disaster aid in 7 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 87% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Coal City is
For adults in Coal City, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 31%. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Coal City.
| Coal City | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Coal City | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 33.3% | 19.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.4% | 10.6% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 30.9% | 25.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Coal City. Close and well known come first.
11 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
17 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
21 mi MuseumThurmond
8 mi MuseumPhillips-Sprague Mine
14 mi National park siteBluestone National Scenic River12K visitors a year
35 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a yearPhoto credits
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve: NKS22, 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 · Phillips-Sprague Mine: Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bluestone National Scenic River: Dave Bieri, Public domain · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
Everything we know about Coal City
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Coal City
About 0 of every 100 Coal City residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
98% of working residents leave Coal City for work
Where Coal City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Coal City
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Coal City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,689 at the 2020 census. Coal City's population is composed of other surrounding unincorporated communities (Whitby, Jonben, and Fireco).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,612 ft
- ZIP code
- 25823
Questions about Coal City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Coal City, WV a good place to live?
Coal City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.