Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,005, settled in 1892.
The best of Lavalette’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 6 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score lower on hazard risk. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 2 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Lavalette. Lavalette’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile, above both West Virginia’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 10 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score lower on history. Lavalette has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Lavalette beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,073 counted in 2010 and 932 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Lavalette is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2017 and 4 maps from 1901 on.
Lavalette is unincorporated, so Wayne County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Lavalette.
49% of Lavalette adults have high blood pressure, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 35%. 18% of adults have diabetes in Lavalette. Lavalette beats the West Virginia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
| Lavalette | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 44% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lavalette | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.9% | 79.5% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 88.8% | 86.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 42.8% | 37.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Wayne County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lavalette Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 245 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lavalette has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Lavalette for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Lavalette is 19 minutes. Jobs based in Lavalette fell to 366 in 2023, 35 fewer than in 2013.
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Lavalette home is worth about $174,000, up 6.1% in a year, close to the West Virginia typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lavalette. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Theme parkCamden Park
26 mi National forestWayne National Forest
5 mi MuseumHuntington Museum of Art
4 mi MuseumHeritage Farm Museum and Village6 mi MuseumMuseum of Radio and TechnologyCamden Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Wayne National Forest: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain · Huntington Museum of Art: Daderot, CC0 · Heritage Farm Museum and Village: Zeo1989, CC BY-SA 4.0
5 within 15 miles of the center of Lavalette
About 4 of every 100 Lavalette residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Lavalette is a census-designated place (CDP) in Wayne County, West Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 932 (down from 1,073 at the 2010 census). Lavalette is located at the intersection of West Virginia Route 152 and West Virginia Route 75, eight miles south of Huntington. The town is near Beech Fork Lake, a popular location for boating and fishing, and Twelvepole Creek. Lavalette was named after Lavalette Miller, the daughter of a Norfolk & Western Railway official. Lavalette is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 287,702. Lavalette has two 18-hole public golf cou…
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+.
