Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 681, settled in 1902.
U.S. Coal and Coke Company is on the National Register of Historic Places. Gary has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 1,393 in 1960, a peak of 2,233 in 1980, 773 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 5 maps from 1912 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gary, 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 Gary.
Gary’s natural-hazard score from FEMA is 91 of 100, against 69 of 100 in West Virginia’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Gary after 10 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. 70% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 24%. It has had 17 paid flood insurance claims since 1984.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Gary: 13% of residents live below the poverty line, 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 lower share of working residents who work in town than Gary. Its middle household income comes in at $42,000. Also worth knowing: between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Gary dropped by 570, to 52.
| Gary | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 50 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 16% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In July, afternoons reach 84°; in January, nights fall to 24°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
30% of adults worry about having enough food in Gary. Of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Gary. This West Virginia town does better than the West Virginia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 20.
| Gary | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Gary | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.7% | 14.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 85% | 79.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.7% | 16.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Gary; the nearest are
About 12 of every 100 Gary residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Where Gary’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Gary.
City in West Virginia, United States
Gary is a city located along the Tug Fork River in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 762. It was named for Elbert Henry Gary, one of the founders of U.S. Steel. The former coal towns of Elbert, Filbert, Thorpe, and Wilcoe became part of Gary at the time of its incorporation in 1971.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gary has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
3 notable people were born here, including Edward Greer and Johnny Bero.