GatewoodWV
A town settled in 1889, now home to 605 people.
Is Gatewood a good place to live?
0.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Gatewood, against 16% in West Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Gatewood. Gatewood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
605 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gatewood. Close and well known come first.
2 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
7 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
3 mi MuseumThurmond
36 mi MuseumLost World Caverns
12 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a year
17 mi MuseumPhillips-Sprague MinePhoto 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 · Lost World Caverns: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Phillips-Sprague Mine: Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Gatewood: who provides what
Gatewood is unincorporated, so Fayette 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 Gatewood.
The FEMA risk score in Gatewood is lower than in the typical West Virginia or U.S. town
Of the losses FEMA expects in Gatewood, 59% come from inland flooding and 18% from lightning. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 97% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Gatewood has 0.1 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
In Gatewood, the mean commuting time is 27 minutes. The top destinations are Fayetteville (19%), Oak Hill (10%) and Beckley (8%). The median commute is under 17 miles.
| Gatewood | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median age in Gatewood is lower than in most of West Virginia or the rest of the country
Gatewood: 19% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 35 to 64 are 26% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 32% of residents (21% statewide).
| Gatewood | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.3 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 19% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Gatewood | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.2% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.9% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 22.3% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.1% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.1% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 0% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.4% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.8% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 27.2% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 6.4% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.1% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Gatewood’s year
Only 4 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower July high than Gatewood. July afternoons reach 82°, 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
How healthy Gatewood is
Among adults in Gatewood, 83% had a checkup this year. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Gatewood is ahead of West Virginia on 3 and behind on 7. Of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Gatewood. Two figures for adults here: 20% report frequent physical distress, 50% have high blood pressure.
| Gatewood | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 44% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Gatewood | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.3% | 14.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.9% | 79.5% |
| More adults with diabetes | 20.6% | 15.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Gatewood
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gatewood
About 0 of every 100 Gatewood residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
100% of working residents leave Gatewood for work
Where Gatewood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Gatewood
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gatewood, WV a good place to live?
Gatewood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.