Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Huntington grades D overall, 56th of 61 graded towns in West Virginia, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country. It reports more crime per resident than 95% of U.S. towns, including 298 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. 45% of working residents work locally in Huntington, above both the West Virginia town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Harvey House and Thomas Carroll House. Only 2 of the 31 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Huntington.
Where Huntington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 3,174 in 1880, a peak of 86,353 in 1950, 46,842 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
38 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Huntington is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 3%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Huntington, 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 Huntington.
Huntington draws workers from Rome Township and beyond and looks healthier within West Virginia than nationally, but it reports violent crime at about twice the West Virginia rate.
Within West Virginia it is less healthy than 73% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
Huntington beats the West Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. Only 2 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Huntington. In Huntington, 16% of adults have diabetes.
| Huntington | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 21% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 31% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 41% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Huntington | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8.3% | 9.6% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13.1% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Of its 21 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. The public schools here belong to the Cabell County Schools. Also worth knowing: 6 public schools serve Huntington, with 2,193 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 601 | C |
| Huntington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,667 | B+ |
| Kellogg Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 328 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 6.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the West Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on that grade. Property crime runs at 33.5 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the West Virginia rate, most of it theft.
Huntington’s level of property crime comes in at 33.5 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The biggest place to walk is Rotary Park, 134 acres with 1.2 miles of trail. Across 14 parks and preserves: 22 miles of trail.
| Huntington | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ritter Park | 2.4 mi | 75 |
| 2. Rotary Park | 1.2 mi | 134 |
| 3. Memorial Park | 0.6 mi | 56 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
31,864 jobs are based in Huntington, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19 minutes, against 26.6 across West Virginia.
For half of commuters, work is under 5 miles away. Among residents in Huntington, 26% live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Charleston (6%), Barboursville (5%) and Ashland (2%). The town’s median household income stands at $45,000.
| Huntington | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 26% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.4% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A winter brings about 10 inches of snow, with January nights at 25° and July afternoons at 87°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
62.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.9% across West Virginia.
A home in Huntington typically sold within 12 days of listing. Only 6 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of renters spending 30% or more of income on rent than Huntington. For households locally, the share who own their home is 53%. Home values are up 2.7% over the year to September 2026.
| Huntington | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 68% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 63% | 47% | 48% |
| Median rent | $912 a month | $874 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
258 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 45 properties have flooded more than once.
Flood insurance has paid out on 258 claims in Huntington since 1978. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Huntington households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 77% come from inland flooding and 8% from heat waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Huntington. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Theme parkCamden Park
in town MuseumHuntington Museum of Art
20 mi National forestWayne National Forest
3 mi MuseumHeritage Farm Museum and Villagein town MuseumMuseum of Radio and TechnologyCamden Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Huntington Museum of Art: Daderot, CC0 · Wayne National Forest: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain · Heritage Farm Museum and Village: Zeo1989, CC BY-SA 4.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of Huntington
About 14 of every 100 Huntington residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
3 colleges in town.
38 places in Huntington on the National Register of Historic Places.
62 notable people were born in Huntington.
City in West Virginia, US
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County and sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Guyandotte rivers in the southwestern part of the state. With a population of 46,842 at the 2020 census (estimated at 44,942 in 2024), Huntington is the second-most populous city in West Virginia. The Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, spanning seven counties across West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, has an estimated 368,000 residents. Surrounded by extensive natural resources, the area was first settled in 1775 as Holderby's Landing. Its location was selected as ideal for the western terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Rai…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Huntington.
| Town | WV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington | #56 | D | B | D | B− | D− |
| Ceredo | — | — | A | A− | B− | D− |
| Barboursville | #48 | C− | B− | C | B− | D |
Ceredo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Huntington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Huntington grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #56 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D− for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.4 years of the area's median household income ($60,078 across the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metro area).
62 notable people were born here, including Brad Dourif and Thomas Massie.
