Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,404, settled in 1887. 66% more nonprofits per person than the typical West Virginia town.
The best of Glen Dale’s subject grades are an A− for schools and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 12 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score higher on health. Glen Dale is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher median age than Glen Dale. Bennett Cockayne House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Glen Dale has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Glen Dale beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Glen Dale Elementary School | PK–5 | 206 |
| John Marshall High School | 9–12 | 1,048 |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Glen Dale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,493 in 1930, a peak of 2,150 in 1970, 1,496 in 2020. The archive holds 2 maps from 1960 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Glen Dale, 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 Glen Dale.
Most working residents leave Glen Dale for work: only 6% work in town. At 20 minutes, Glen Dale’s average trip to work is against 21 minutes in West Virginia’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The median household income in Glen Dale is $82,000.
| Glen Dale | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.1% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 16% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Marshall County Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is John Marshall High School, with 1,048 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glen Dale Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 206 | A |
| John Marshall High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,048 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 39 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Glen Dale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Glen Dale has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 23° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 2.9 per 1,000 residents, Glen Dale’s violent crime rate is where West Virginia’s towns sit at 1.6 and U.S. towns at 1.6.
| Glen Dale | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.5 per 1,000 residents | 16.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Glen Dale home is worth about $200,000, up 5% in a year, 13% above the West Virginia typical home. 85% of Glen Dale households own their home.
| Glen Dale | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $839 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Glen Dale beats the West Virginia average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of adults feel lonely in Glen Dale. Only 1 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Glen Dale.
| Glen Dale | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Glen Dale | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 16.2% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.7% | 8.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.8% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Saint Jude Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Glen Dale. Close and well known come first.
2 mi Ancient siteGrave Creek Mound
27 mi MuseumMeadowcroft Rockshelter
8 mi Stadium & arenaWesBanco Arena
12 mi GardenOglebay Park
8 mi MuseumWest Virginia Independence Hall
33 mi MuseumPennsylvania Trolley MuseumGrave Creek Mound: Shonebrooks, CC0 · Meadowcroft Rockshelter: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · WesBanco Arena: Jgera5 at English Wikipedia, CC0 · Oglebay Park: Morganismysheltie (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · West Virginia Independence Hall: Nyttend, Public domain · Pennsylvania Trolley Museum: The original uploader was N2xjk at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Glen Dale
About 4 of every 100 Glen Dale residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
Where Glen Dale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 notable people were born in Glen Dale.
City in West Virginia, US
Glen Dale is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. The population was 1,514 at the 2020 census. Glen Dale was incorporated in 1924. It is in the northwest part of the county, which is above the Mason–Dixon line and forms the base of the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
66% more nonprofits per person than the typical West Virginia town.
Not for the area. That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($57,418 across the Wheeling, WV-OH 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+.
7 notable people were born here, including Brad Paisley and Shelley Moore Capito.
.JPG){kind=link}
