Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Milton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 50th of 61 in West Virginia, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 52% of West Virginia towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 82% of the country. A typical home there costs about $218K, 3.6 years of the Huntington metro’s $60K median household income. Only 6 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score lower on cost of living. Its National Register listings include Mud River Covered Bridge and Morris Memorial Hospital for Crippled Children. Only 2 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of residents 65 or older than Milton.
Where Milton beats most towns.
2,423 counted in 2010 and 2,811 in 2020; an estimated 2,792 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.1%, after 16% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Milton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 377 in 1880, 2,811 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1934 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Milton, 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 Milton.
Milton is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Huntington and other neighbors, but it has little public open land.
Against the 4,484 U.S. towns with household incomes like Milton’s, it is healthier than 53%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within West Virginia it is healthier than 70% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
32% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Milton, against 31% in West Virginia’s towns and 23% across U.S. towns. 43% of adults have obesity in Milton. Milton beats the West Virginia average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Milton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 41% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 44% | 35% |
| What stands out | Milton | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 8.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 7.1% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Cabell County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 555 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
161 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 27 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 161 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Milton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Children under 18 are 33% of residents (20% statewide); people 65 and older are 13% of residents (21% statewide). Milton’s median age is 33.7 years, below both the West Virginia town median (42.3 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). 18% of Milton adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Milton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.7 years | 42.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 18% | 29% | 29% |
58% women, 42% men
About 73 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±6.7 points). Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Milton | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 24% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.5% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.5% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.4% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.5% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.9% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.1% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,800, single groups can be off by several points
Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026. Among 61 West Virginia towns, just 4 have a higher median rent than Milton.
| Milton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,198 a month | $874 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Milton has chilly winters and warm summers. Milton’s July high is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Milton has about as many jobs (1,319) as working residents, but only 84 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Milton for work: only 7% work in town. The median household income in Milton is $46,000. The top destinations are Huntington (19%), Charleston (10%) and Barboursville (5%).
| Milton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.2% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Just 1 of its 1,386 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Milton itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Only 4 of the 54 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Milton.
| Milton | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. April Dawn Park | — | 1 |
| 2. Jarel Sargent Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Milton. Close and well known come first.
22 mi Theme parkCamden Park
27 mi National forestWayne National Forest
24 mi Ancient siteCriel Mound
34 mi Park & preserveMcClintic Wildlife Management Area
16 mi MuseumHuntington Museum of Art29 mi MuseumWest Virginia State MuseumCamden Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Wayne National Forest: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain · Criel Mound: David G. Simpson, Public domain · McClintic Wildlife Management Area: Steve from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Huntington Museum of Art: Daderot, CC0
None within 15 miles of Milton; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Milton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
3 notable people were born in Milton.
One town shares a border with Milton.
Milton and Culloden report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Milton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Milton grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #50 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
3 notable people were born here, including Darrell Fetty and Phillip Swann.
