The Paden City, West Virginia, Public Library, 2015
Paden City’s story
123 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1903Paden City is settled
Paden CityWV
A town of 2,381, settled in 1903.
Population
2,381
2025 Census estimate · −6.4% since 2020
Typical home
$120K
+13.9% in a year
Household income
$66K
median
Median age
40.4
years
Jobs based here
291
A commuter town
Is Paden City a good place to live?
Paden City’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Residents are less healthy than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 5 have a higher share of children under 18 than Paden City. Only 2 of West Virginia’s 89 towns score lower on civic life. The biggest park or preserve is Paden City Park, at 40 acres. On the outdoors, just 13 of West Virginia’s 141 towns do better. Paden City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Paden City stand out
Where Paden City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Paden City for work
Where Paden City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
291jobs based in Paden City
4%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Paden City grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Paden City is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →HealthSistersville General Hospital 4.8 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & income$66K median household incomeCOpen →SchoolsB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.7 of 20; 6.8% of households have no car; 1.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 5% conserved landB+Open →History2 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life2.6 library visits per resident; 2.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Paden City: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Paden City, and how to reach them.
PowerMon Power14.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Paden City water system21 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Paden City’s trash rules yet
SchoolsWetzel County School DistrictTyler County School District2 districts serve Paden City; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn West Virginia you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWetzel Clerk of the County CommissionWetzel County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP code2615926159 99%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Paden City.
HealthD
Paden City’s grade for health is a D
43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Paden City, above both West Virginia’s towns (40%) and U.S. towns (36%). 30% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Paden City. Paden City beats the West Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
10%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Paden City | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 40% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 14% |
32 measures vs. West Virginia
1 better30 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Paden City | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.5% | 11% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.7% | 19.5% |
Sistersville General Hospital
4.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB+
Public schools in Paden City beat 73% of West Virginia districts
Its public schools are run by the Wetzel County Schools. Its two schools are below.
73%of WV districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paden City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 155 | C |
| Paden City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 152 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Paden City faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 94% of U.S. communities.
94risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Paden City’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Paden City for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Paden City has lost 34 jobs, to 291 in 2023. 12% of residents live below the poverty line in Paden City, against 16% in West Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
4%work in town
| Paden City | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.1% | 14% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Paden City4%
New Martinsville19%
Wheeling7%
Sistersville4%
Middlebourne3%
20 mi
median commute distance
291
jobs based in Paden City
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade A+
Paden City’s typical home value is about $120K
The typical Paden City home is worth about $120,000, up 13.9% in a year, 32% below the West Virginia typical home. 84% of Paden City households own their home.
$120KZillow home value
| Paden City | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $719 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Paden City$120K
West Virginia$177K
+13.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Paden City has four seasons and pleasant summers
Paden City has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 22° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
27″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–42°
Spring40–64°
Summer61–84°
Fall44–66°
Oct 26
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
More children than West Virginia overall
Children under 18 are 25% of residents (20% statewide). Paden City has lost 6.4% of its people since 2020, down to 2,381 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 16% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
40.4median age · WV 42.7
| Paden City | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 16% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.4 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
Paden CityWest VirginiaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
14%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school44%
Some college20%
Associate’s15%
Bachelor’s10%
Graduate6%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Paden City | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.7% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.4% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 44% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.8% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9.6% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.1% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,400, single groups can be off by several points
4.8%conserved
| Paden City | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
4.8%
conserved · 26 of 538 acres
0.5 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Paden City Park | 0.5 mi | 40 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Paden City
19pages on Paden City
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Paden City; the nearest are
Salem UniversityUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Salem29.1 mi$11,900 tuitionOhio University-Eastern CampusUniversity or college · Public · Saint Clairsville, OH32.6 mi$6,362 in-state tuitionBelmont CollegeCommunity college · Public · St Clairsville, OH32.8 mi$4,698 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Paden City residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
About Paden City
City in West Virginia, US
Paden City is a city in Tyler and Wetzel counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It was incorporated in 1916. The population was 2,550 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 659 ft
- ZIP code
- 26159
- Area code
- 304
Questions about Paden City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Paden City, WV expensive?
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+.
What is Paden City, WV known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Mark Funkhouser and Jeff Casteel.