Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,721, settled in 1835.
Fayetteville's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades C−, ranked 46th of 61 in West Virginia. Its weakest subject is health: residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 17% of the land in Fayetteville is conserved, against 2.5% in West Virginia’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 11 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score lower on cost of living. Fayetteville has 8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them New River Gorge Bridge and Fayette County Courthouse.
Where Fayetteville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 413 in 1900, 2,887 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 5 maps from 1910 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Fayetteville is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for health (better than 6%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fayetteville. Close and well known come first.
in town National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
11 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
8 mi MuseumThurmond
38 mi Ancient siteCriel Mound
9 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a year
39 mi MuseumLost World CavernsNew 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 · Criel Mound: David G. Simpson, Public domain · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Lost World Caverns: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fayetteville, 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 Fayetteville.
Fayetteville carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of West Virginia (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Oak Hill and beyond and looks healthier within West Virginia than nationally.
Within West Virginia it is less healthy than 67% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
45% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Fayetteville, above both West Virginia’s towns (40%) and U.S. towns (36%). 32% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Fayetteville.
| Fayetteville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 40% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Fayette County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville PK-8Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 548 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
2,125 jobs are based in Fayetteville, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Fayetteville for work: only 17% work in town. The average trip to work in Fayetteville is 31 minutes. The top destinations are Beckley (13%), Oak Hill (8%) and Charleston (8%).
| Fayetteville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
4.6 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Fayetteville’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile. New River Gorge National Park, at 734 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. New River Gorge National Park | 1.4 mi | 734 |
| 2. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve | — | 741 |
| 3. Fayetteville Town Park | 0.1 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 92% of West Virginia towns; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Only 5 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower FEMA risk score than Fayetteville.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fayetteville has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 24° and about 68 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Home values rose 51% in five years, to about $203K, against 23% across West Virginia.
The typical Fayetteville home is worth about $203,000, up 5.1% in a year, 15% above the West Virginia typical home.
| Fayetteville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $980 a month | $874 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 68% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 27% of residents (21% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (20% statewide). Fayetteville has lost 6% of its people since 2020, down to 2,721 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
| Fayetteville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 45.9 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.8 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Fayetteville | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.4% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.2% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.7% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.5% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.4% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.2% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.2% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.9% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.4% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
Within West Virginia, it does better than 68% of towns.
| Fayetteville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.1 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Fayetteville; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Fayetteville residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Where Fayetteville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Fayetteville on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in West Virginia, United States
Fayetteville is a town in and the county seat of Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,887 at the 2020 census. Fayetteville lies adjacent to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and is directly south of the New River Gorge Bridge. Fayetteville was listed as one of the 2006 "Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in America" by Budget Travel Magazine, and as "Best River Town 2013" by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Fayetteville.
| Town | WV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville | #46 | C− | B− | C+ | C− | D |
| Oak Hill | #39 | C− | A− | B− | C− | D− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fayetteville grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #46 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within West Virginia, it does better than 68% of towns.
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($52,620 across the Beckley, WV metro 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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Brandi Alexander and Alderson Propps.
