Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
41% of residents live below the poverty line in Gauley Bridge, against 16% in West Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 2 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower median rent than Gauley Bridge. Gauley Bridge Railroad Station is on the National Register of Historic Places. Gauley Bridge has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Gauley Bridge beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 1,177 in 1980, 553 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 5 maps from 1910 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gauley Bridge. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
19 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
30 mi Ancient siteCriel Mound
16 mi MuseumThurmond
6 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a year25 mi MuseumWest Virginia State MuseumNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve: NKS22, Public domain · The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve: Lisa Strader, CC BY 2.0 · Criel Mound: David G. Simpson, Public domain · Thurmond: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gauley Bridge, 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 Gauley Bridge.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities. Since 2001, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gauley Bridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Gauley Bridge home is worth about $97,000, up 4.8% in a year, 45% below the West Virginia typical home. 62% of Gauley Bridge households own their home, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 68% and U.S. towns at 73%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 35 to 64 are 21% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 31% of residents (21% statewide). 14% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Gauley Bridge. Gauley Bridge has lost 6.9% of its people since 2020, down to 514 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.2 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Gauley Bridge | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 22.8% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 25.7% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 0% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.5% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 26.3% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.1% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 12.2% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 2.2% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
Most working residents leave Gauley Bridge for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Gauley Bridge fell to 64 in 2023, 140 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Charleston (12%), Montgomery (7%) and South Charleston (5%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gauley Bridge has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 25° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Gauley Bridge beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 46% of Gauley Bridge adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Gauley Bridge.
| Gauley Bridge | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 40% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 31% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Gauley Bridge | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.5% | 19.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gauley Bridge Tennis Courts | — | 10 |
| 2. Neal Field | — | 6 |
| 3. Travellers Field | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Gauley Bridge; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Gauley Bridge residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Where Gauley Bridge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in West Virginia, United States
Gauley Bridge is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 553 at the 2020 census. The Kanawha River is formed at Gauley Bridge by the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers. Two miles to the southwest of Gauley Bridge, in Glen Ferris, is Kanawha Falls, a popular stopping point on Midland Trail Scenic Highway. The community was named after a bridge over the Gauley River near the original town site. Gauley Bridge was close to the site of the Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster, in which hundreds of people died in the 1920s and 1930s.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gauley Bridge has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including Timothy Truman and MacGillivray Milne.
