Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Today 1,246 people live in this town, first settled in 1906.
The best of Newell’s subject grades are an A for schools and an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. Newell’s typical journey to work is 35 minutes, above both West Virginia’s towns (21 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 82% of U.S. towns. Among 53 West Virginia towns, just 2 have a lower midpoint home value than Newell. Waterford Park and William E. Wells House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Newell has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Newell beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Newell | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.4% | 16.2% |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Newell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,032 in 1980, 1,203 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1937 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Newell is unincorporated, so Hancock 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 Newell.
The share of adults in Newell who smoke cigarettes: 24%. Only 4 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Newell.
| Newell | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Newell | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.4% | 16.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.6% | 10.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.8% | 19.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Among households in Newell, 60% are owner-occupiers. Home values are up 7.5% over the year to September 2026. In Newell, the going rate for rent is $915 a month.
| Newell | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $915 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The median commute is under 17 miles. For residents in Newell, the share who live below the poverty line is 26%. Just 3% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Since 2013, Newell has lost 1,233 jobs, to 349 in 2023.
| Newell | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 26% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Newell, 17% of residents are 65 or older. No broad age group is more than 4 points off the West Virginia average. West Virginia has nearly a quarter of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 20%. 26% never finished high school.
| Newell | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.8 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.9 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Newell | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.5% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.8% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.5% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 20.9% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.2% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.9% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.1% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 26.1% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.5% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2.5% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.8% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Newell than in 57% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 89% come from inland flooding. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clarke Athletic Field | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Newell. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
33 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
33 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
34 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
23 mi MuseumMeadowcroft Rockshelter
33 mi LandmarkFort PittAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · PPG Paints Arena: Jleedev, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Meadowcroft Rockshelter: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Pitt: Downtown_Pittsburgh_May_2008.jpg: Allie Caufield derivative work: GrapedApe (tal, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Newell
About 2 of every 100 Newell residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
1,376 counted in 2010 and 1,203 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
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−.
