Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,282, settled in 1889. 52% more nonprofits per person than the typical West Virginia town.
Trash day: look up yoursParsons’ best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 10 of West Virginia’s 140 towns score lower on incomes. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 2 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower January low than Parsons. On civic life, just 5 of West Virginia’s 89 towns do better. Parsons has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Tucker County Courthouse and Jail and Western Maryland Depot. On the outdoors, just 14 of West Virginia’s 141 towns do better. Parsons has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Parsons beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
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 Parsons is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 618 in 1900, a peak of 2,077 in 1940, 1,327 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1908 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Parsons, 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 Parsons.
Parsons tracks West Virginia closely on all 32 CDC measures. 46% of adults have high blood pressure in Parsons, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 35%. 18% of adults report frequent physical distress in Parsons.
| Parsons | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 44% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 25% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1978, 204 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Parsons.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Parsons home is worth about $122,000, down 4.2% in a year, 31% below the West Virginia typical home. Parsons’ median rent is $650 a month, below both West Virginia’s towns ($878 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Parsons | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $650 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Parsons has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Parsons is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Parsons’s working residents works in town. Parsons’ average trip to work is 32 minutes. Only 5 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower median household income than Parsons.
| Parsons | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Parsons | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.5% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mill Race | — | 17 |
| 2. Monongahela National Forest | — | 6 |
| 3. Blackwater Wildlife Management Area | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Parsons. Close and well known come first.
18 mi Park & preserveDolly Sods Wilderness
26 mi MountainSpruce Mountain
33 mi LakeDeep Creek Lake
10 mi WaterfallBlackwater Falls28 mi CaveHellhole
39 mi National forestMonongahela National ForestDolly Sods Wilderness: Valerius Tygart, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Spruce Mountain: Valerius Tygart, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Deep Creek Lake: Gohens84, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blackwater Falls: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant), CC BY-SA 2.5 · Monongahela National Forest: Valerius Tygart, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Parsons
About 3 of every 100 Parsons residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
1,485 counted in 2010 and 1,327 in 2020; an estimated 1,282 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Parsons on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in West Virginia, US
Parsons is a city in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 1,322 at the 2020 census. Parsons is located at the confluence of the Shavers Fork and the Black Fork, forming the head of the Cheat River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
52% more nonprofits per person than the typical West Virginia town.
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+.
