Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fairmont gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $194K, 2.9 years of the Fairmont area’s $67K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 21st of 61 graded towns in West Virginia. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 89% of the country, and it reports more crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns, including 71 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 86% of West Virginia towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 16 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include High Level Bridge and High Gate. Only 5 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower median age than Fairmont. Fairmont is home to Fairmont State University.
Where Fairmont beats most towns.
Marion County Courthouse and Sheriff's House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Watson Elementary School | PK–4 | 383 |
| East Park Elementary School | K–4 | 321 |
| Fairmont Catholic Grade School | PK–8 | 149 |
Census counts: 683 in 1850, a peak of 29,346 in 1950, 18,416 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1802 and 5 maps from 1902 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Fairmont is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fairmont, 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 Fairmont.
Fairmont pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, looks healthier within West Virginia than nationally and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
Within West Virginia it is healthier than 53% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
23% of Fairmont adults report frequent mental distress, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 17%. 31% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Fairmont. Fairmont beats the West Virginia average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Fairmont | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 31% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 41% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Fairmont | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 7.6% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 77% | 79.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $194K.
Its public schools are run by the Marion County Schools. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Fairmont Senior High School, with 835 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Fairmont Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 647 | B |
| Fairmont Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 835 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 353 to 277 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Fairmont’s violent crime rate is 3.9 per 1,000 residents, above both West Virginia’s towns (1.6) and U.S. towns (1.6). Fairmont reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 77% report less. Within West Virginia, it does better than 46% of towns.
| Fairmont | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.5 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 18 to 34 are 32% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 16% of residents (21% statewide). Fairmont has lost 2.1% of its people since 2020, down to 18,035 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
| Fairmont | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.7 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.5, men 34.5.
| Fairmont | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.7% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.6% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.6% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.9% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.6% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.6% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Fairmont has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 23° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
22% of Fairmont working residents work locally. The top destinations are Morgantown (13%), Bridgeport (7%) and Clarksburg (4%). 17% of Fairmont residents live below the poverty line.
| Fairmont | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 13% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 44 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairmont.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Fairmont home is worth about $194,000, up 3% in a year, 10% above the West Virginia typical home.
| Fairmont | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $916 a month | $874 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 45% | 48% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.8 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Only 5 of the 54 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower trail density than Fairmont. The biggest park or preserve is Morris Park, at 104 acres.
| Fairmont | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Windmill Park | 0.4 mi | 14 |
| 2. Morris Park | — | 104 |
| 3. East Marion Park | 0.2 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairmont. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Stadium & arenaMountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
37 mi National BattlefieldFort Necessity National Battlefield226K visitors a year
23 mi National Historic SiteFriendship Hill National Historic Site18K visitors a year31 mi MuseumJackson's Mill
15 mi GardenEarl L. Core Arboretum22 mi Zoo & aquariumWest Virginia ZooMountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Fort Necessity National Battlefield: Wilson44691, CC0 · Friendship Hill National Historic Site: The original uploader was ScottyBoy900Q at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Earl L. Core Arboretum: Darren Ringer, CC BY-SA 2.5
4 within 15 miles of the center of Fairmont
About 9 of every 100 Fairmont residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
2 colleges in town.
16 places in Fairmont on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 notable people were born in Fairmont.
City in the United States
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,313 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of the Fairmont micropolitan area, which includes all of Marion County in North Central West Virginia and had a population of 56,205 in 2020. Fairmont is also a principal city of the larger Morgantown–Fairmont combined statistical area. The city is home to Fairmont State University, serving more than 3,000 students.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Fairmont.
| Town | WV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont | #21 | C+ | A− | C− | A | D |
| Pleasant Valley | #12 | B | A− | — | A | C− |
| White Hall | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pleasant Valley reports no FBI crime data of its own. White Hall isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Fairmont with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fairmont grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #21 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D for health, C− for safety and A for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within West Virginia, it does better than 46% of towns.
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−.
35 notable people were born here, including Mary Lou Retton and Johnnie Johnson.
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