Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Grafton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $141K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the Clarksburg area’s $60K median household income. It grades B− overall, 19th of 61 graded towns in West Virginia. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 98% of the country, and the median household income is $40K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 78% of U.S. towns. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Grafton, above both West Virginia’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Grafton has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Andrews Methodist Church and Anna Jarvis House. Grafton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Grafton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Grafton is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 2%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Andrews Methodist Church is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 891 in 1860, a peak of 8,517 in 1920, 4,722 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1802 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grafton, 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 Grafton.
Grafton fares better on crime within West Virginia than nationally, has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Bridgeport and other neighbors.
22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Grafton. Grafton beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Grafton.
| Grafton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 25% |
| What stands out | Grafton | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 12.3% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Taylor County Schools. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Grafton High School, with 658 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 658 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
At 9.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 96% of West Virginia’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Grafton’s property crime rate is 8.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Grafton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.4 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grafton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Grafton has chilly winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Grafton is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 2.3 years of the Clarksburg area’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $141K) costs less against local pay than in 80% of West Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $413, against $865 across West Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Among 61 West Virginia towns, just 3 have a lower median rent than Grafton. The typical Grafton home is worth about $141,000, down 1.1% in a year, 20% below the West Virginia typical home.
| Grafton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $512 a month | $882 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Grafton has about as many jobs (1,794) as working residents, but only 254 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Grafton for work: only 15% work in town. Since 2013, Grafton has added 116 jobs, to 1,794 in 2023. The top destinations are Bridgeport (11%), Morgantown (8%) and Fairmont (5%).
| Grafton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Just 11 of its 2,420 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Grafton itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.3 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Among 54 West Virginia towns, just 4 have a lower trail density than Grafton.
| Grafton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fetterman/Castle Creek Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Maple Avenue Playground | — | 3 |
| 3. Central Playground | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Grafton
About 1 of every 100 Grafton residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
4 places in Grafton on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Grafton.
City in the United States
Grafton is a city in Taylor County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 4,729 at the 2020 census. Located along the Tygart Valley River, it originally developed as a junction point for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, serving numerous branches of a network that was vital to the regional coal industry. Grafton is the home of both of West Virginia's national cemeteries, and was where the West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association formed in 1895. Mother's Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908, and the city is home to the International Mother's Day Shrine. Grafton was also among the first cities in the United States to observe Memorial Day.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Grafton grades B− overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #19 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D− for health, A− for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
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+.
15 notable people were born here, including Frances Benjamin Johnston and Edgar Adams.
