Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,629, settled in 1820.
Oak Hill gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $158K, 3 years of the Beckley metro’s $53K median household income. It grades C− overall, 39th among West Virginia's 61 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country, and the median household income is $52K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. Oak Hill’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in West Virginia’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Only 6 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score higher on the outdoors. Oak Hill has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oak Hill Railroad Depot and Oak Hill High School.
Where Oak Hill beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
9.8% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Oak Hill is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 764 in 1910, 8,179 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1928 and 7 maps from 1913 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oak Hill. Close and well known come first.
3 mi National PreserveNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve2.0M visitors a year
5 mi Park & preserveThe Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve
4 mi MuseumThurmond
40 mi MuseumLost World Caverns
13 mi MuseumPhillips-Sprague Mine
15 mi National Recreation AreaGauley River National Recreation Area214K visitors a yearNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve: NKS22, Public domain · The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve: Lisa Strader, CC BY 2.0 · Thurmond: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lost World Caverns: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Phillips-Sprague Mine: Coal town guy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gauley River National Recreation Area: Wwkayaker22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oak Hill, 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 Oak Hill.
Oak Hill carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of West Virginia (mostly inland flooding), fares better on crime within West Virginia than nationally and looks healthier within West Virginia than nationally.
That puts Oak Hill where West Virginia’s towns sit at 2.5% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. 12 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Needleseye Park, 284 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. New River Gorge National Preserve | 4.4 mi | 257 |
| 2. Needleseye Park | 1.2 mi | 284 |
| 3. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve | — | 257 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Fayette County Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Oak Hill High, with 1,057 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Hill Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 627 | D |
| Oak Hill HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,057 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Within West Virginia it is less healthy than 73% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
47% of Oak Hill adults sleep under 7 hours. Oak Hill beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 19% of Oak Hill adults report frequent physical distress.
| Oak Hill | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 40% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Oak Hill | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.4% | 19.5% |
| More adults sleeping under 7 hours | 47.2% | 40.7% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 29.3% | 25.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 93% of West Virginia towns, with expected losses of about $129 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Oak Hill is 8 of 100. Since 1985, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oak Hill.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 3,180 in 2013 to 2,167.
Most working residents leave Oak Hill for work: only 12% work in town. Oak Hill’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. Jobs based in Oak Hill fell to 2,167 in 2023, 1,013 fewer than in 2013.
| Oak Hill | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.5% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Oak Hill has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Only 6 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower July high than Oak Hill.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the West Virginia average. 16% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Oak Hill. Oak Hill has lost 6.6% of its people since 2020, down to 7,629 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Oak Hill | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 16% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 21% | 18% |
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.7 points). Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 66% are women (WV 49%).
| Oak Hill | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.8% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.2% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.3% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 45% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.5% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.6% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9.4% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.2% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $159K, is 8% below its February 2025 peak. Home values rose 42% in five years, to about $159K, against 23% across West Virginia.
The typical Oak Hill home is worth about $159,000, up 1.3% in a year, 10% below the West Virginia typical home.
| Oak Hill | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $847 a month | $882 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 68% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 18.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 79% of West Virginia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 89 to 52 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
3 within 15 miles of the center of Oak Hill
About 3 of every 100 Oak Hill residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Where Oak Hill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Oak Hill on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Oak Hill.
City in West Virginia, US
Oak Hill is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 8,179 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Beckley metropolitan area. Country singer Hank Williams died in Oak Hill on his way to a concert on January 1, 1953. The city is also home to the historic Oak Hill Railroad Depot which still stands today as an artisan shop. More recently, recreation has become a leading industry as the city neighbors the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Oak Hill.
| Town | WV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Hill | #39 | C− | A− | B− | C− | D− |
| Fayetteville | #46 | C− | B− | C+ | C− | D |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oak Hill grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #39 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D− for health, B− for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Earl Jones and Randy Gilkey.
