Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Elkins earns a D, 51st among West Virginia's 61 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. The median household income is $44K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. 36% of working residents work locally in Elkins, above both the West Virginia town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Elkins has 22 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Davis and Elkins Historic District and Graceland. Elkins's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Where Elkins beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Graceland
Graceland is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 737 in 1890, 6,934 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 4 maps from 1909 on.
22 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Elkins is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elkins, 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 Elkins.
Elkins draws workers from Beverly and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Against the 3,736 U.S. towns with household incomes like Elkins’s, it is less healthy than 76%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within West Virginia it is less healthy than 65% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
32% of Elkins adults have been diagnosed with depression. Elkins beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 44% of Elkins adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Elkins | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 41% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
| What stands out | Elkins | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.9% | 19.5% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 50.3% | 55.5% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 84.5% | 86.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Randolph County Schools. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Elkins High School, with 747 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkins Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 615 | C− |
| Elkins High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 747 | B |
| Midland Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 164 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
4,918 jobs are based in Elkins, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 11.5 minutes, against 26.6 across West Virginia.
About one in 3 of Elkins’s working residents works in town. Elkins’ average trip to work is 12 minutes. Jobs based in Elkins fell to 4,918 in 2023, 971 fewer than in 2013.
| Elkins | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The trail density in Elkins is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Glendale Park & Skatepark, at 36 acres.
| Elkins | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Glendale Park & Skatepark | 0.9 mi | 36 |
| 2. Riverbend Park | 0.6 mi | 18 |
| 3. Elkins City Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
184 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 40 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 184 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elkins.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Elkins has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 21° and about 69 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 27% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 17% of residents (21% statewide). Elkins has lost 4.5% of its people since 2020, down to 6,622 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
| Elkins | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 29% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Elkins | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.3% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.6% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.2% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.3% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.7% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 14% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.9% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.7% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.4% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Elkins's reported crime rate is below West Virginia's. Only 3 of the 36 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Elkins. 32 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Elkins | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 14.8 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
The typical Elkins home is worth about $174,000, up 1.8% in a year, close to the West Virginia typical home. 59% of households own their home in Elkins.
| Elkins | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $903 a month | $874 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Elkins
About 7 of every 100 Elkins residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Where Elkins’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
22 places in Elkins on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Elkins.
City in West Virginia, US
Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 6,950 at the 2020 census. It lies along the Tygart Valley River and was incorporated in 1890, taking its name from Stephen B. Elkins, the city's co-founder and later U.S. Senator from West Virginia. Elkins is home to Davis and Elkins College and the Mountain State Forest Festival, held in early October every year.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Elkins.
Elkins reports no FBI crime data of its own. Beverly isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Elkins with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Elkins grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #51 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($52,757 across the Elkins, WV area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
20 notable people were born here, including Will Hare and Charles R. Holland.
