Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,047, settled in 1845. A regional job hub with 1,099 jobs.
Glenville’s best subject grades are an A for civic life and history; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 34% of working residents work locally in Glenville, above both West Virginia’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 12 of West Virginia’s 140 towns score lower on incomes. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Glenville is home to Glenville State University. Glenville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Glenville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 398 in 1860, a low of 174 in 1870, 1,129 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1996 and 3 maps from 1906 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Glenville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Glenville, 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 Glenville.
About one in 3 of Glenville’s working residents works in town. 24% of Glenville residents live below the poverty line, above both the West Virginia town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The median household income in Glenville is $47,000.
| Glenville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Gilmer County Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Gilmer County High School, with 421 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilmer County Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 300 | C− |
| Gilmer County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 421 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Since 1978, 240 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Glenville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
46% of households own their home in Glenville. Typical home values rose 4.5% in the year to September 2026. Glenville’s median rent is $872 a month.
| Glenville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $872 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Glenville beats the West Virginia average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 22% of Glenville adults report frequent mental distress. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Glenville.
| Glenville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 44% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Glenville | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6.6% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 12.1% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 74.8% | 79.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Glenville has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Glenville
College town 24 of every 100 Glenville residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
1,537 counted in 2010 and 1,129 in 2020; an estimated 1,047 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 places in Glenville on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in West Virginia, United States
Glenville is a town in and the county seat of Gilmer County, West Virginia, United States, along the Little Kanawha River. The population was 1,128 at the 2020 census. It is the home of Glenville State University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
