HometownWVPark, 2007
Hometown’s story
74 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1906 on.
- 1952Hometown is settled
HometownWV
The town was settled in 1952 and has 756 residents today.
Photo: Youngamerican · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
756
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$143K
Census ACS
Household income
$29K
median
Median age
56.6
years
Jobs based here
41
A commuter town
Is Hometown a good place to live?
30% of residents live below the poverty line in Hometown, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher age of the median resident than Hometown. 61% of the land in Hometown is conserved, against 2.5% in West Virginia’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Amherst / Plymouth Wildlife Management Area, at 312 acres. Hometown has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
756 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Hometown: who provides what
Hometown is unincorporated, so Putnam County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAppalachian Power17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWest Virginia American WaterNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPutnam CountyPutnam County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn West Virginia you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePutnam Clerk of the County CommissionPutnam County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes25109, 2516825109 95% · 25168 5%Census 2020
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 Hometown.
Outdoors
nearly a third of the land in Hometown is protected from building
There are 0.9 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. The concentration of trails in Hometown is 1.1 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves locally: 2, covering 317 acres.
60.9%conserved
60.9%
conserved · 311 of 511 acres
0.9 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Amherst / Plymouth Wildlife Management Area | 0.9 mi | 312 |
| 2. Hometown Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Schools
The schools Hometown’s kids attend
The Putnam County Schools runs its public schools. Its one school is below. Hometown’s only public school teaches 58 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hometown Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 58 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Hometown has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Households in Hometown have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2024. On expected storm and flood damage, Hometown sits above 96% of U.S. communities. 92% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding.
96risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
More middle-aged adults than West Virginia overall
Hometown: 18% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 35 to 64 are 55% of residents (38% statewide); children under 18 are 11% of residents (20% statewide).
56.6median age · WV 42.7
HometownWest VirginiaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
33%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma14%
High school56%
Some college0%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s18%
Graduate0%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 42% and 72% women
The Census survey reached too few of Hometown’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±15 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Hometown | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 0% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 0% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 21.4% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 33.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.5% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 56.4% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 0% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.9% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 0% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 800, single groups can be off by several points
Work & commute
Hometown stands out in West Virginia and nationally, with the median household income lower than most
The top destinations are Charleston (20%), South Charleston (4%) and Huntington (4%). Among working residents in Hometown, 0.7% work locally. Jobs in Hometown grew by 24 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 41. For half of commuters, work is under 17 miles away.
1%work in town
| Hometown | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $29,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 14% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Hometown1%
Charleston20%
South Charleston4%
Huntington4%
Winfield3%
17 mi
median commute distance
41
jobs based in Hometown
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
The climate in Hometown brings four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
11″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–46°
Spring43–67°
Summer63–85°
Fall45–69°
Oct 30
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Hometown is
In Hometown, 47% of adults have high blood pressure. For adults here, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 44%.
| Hometown | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 44% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
32 measures vs. West Virginia
0 better30 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Hometown | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.7% | 19.5% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 51.1% | 55.5% |
Thomas Memorial Hospital
13.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A home in Hometown sells for about $189K at the median
The share of households in Hometown who own their home: 55%.
$189Kmedian sale price
0
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hometown
17pages on Hometown
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Hometown
West Virginia State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Institute11.3 mi$9,570 in-state tuitionBridgeValley Community & Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · South Charleston14.8 mi$5,800 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Hometown residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Hometown for work
Where Hometown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
41jobs based in Hometown
1%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Hometown
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Hometown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Putnam County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 556 (down from 668 at the 2010 census). The community is located along the Kanawha River on West Virginia Route 62. Hometown has six streets that intersect at one street. There is an elementary school. The red house on the left in the photo was constructed for Thomas M. Brown and Ella Mae Criner Brown in the early 1920s, and was the first house built at Hometown. Hometown is a unique community, with no true elected mayor. A dog who roams Hometown and Bancroft is who the residents refer to as the mayor.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- ZIP code
- 25109
Questions about Hometown
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hometown, WV a good place to live?
Hometown has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.