Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,282, founded in 1745.
Petersburg’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life and an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D− for health. The median household income is $43K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 2 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher July high than Petersburg. Petersburg has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hermitage Motor Inn and Rohrbaugh Cabin. Petersburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Petersburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 268 in 1880, 2,284 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and a map from 1920 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Petersburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Petersburg, 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 Petersburg.
Petersburg beats the West Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 19% of Petersburg adults report frequent physical distress, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 17% and U.S. towns at 14%. 18% of adults have diabetes in Petersburg.
| Petersburg | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 44% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Petersburg | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.5% | 79.5% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.2% | 4.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Grant County Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Petersburg High School, with 582 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 644 | A− |
| Petersburg High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 582 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
About one in 3 of Petersburg’s working residents works in town. At 15 minutes, Petersburg’s average trip to work is below both West Virginia’s towns (21 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Petersburg has added 239 jobs, to 2,265 in 2023.
| Petersburg | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Petersburg has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 22° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 27% of residents (21% statewide). 14% of Petersburg adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Petersburg | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 14% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 44 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 20% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Petersburg | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.2% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.9% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.1% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.4% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.3% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.2% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 51.6% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.9% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.9% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.4% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,300, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Petersburg home is worth about $191,000, up 2.9% in a year, 8% above the West Virginia typical home. Petersburg’s median rent is $646 a month.
| Petersburg | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $646 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Petersburg | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Petersburg City Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Petersburg. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Park & preserveDolly Sods Wilderness
25 mi MountainSpruce Mountain21 mi CaveHellhole
38 mi LakeDeep Creek Lake
35 mi National forestGeorge Washington and Jefferson National Forests
21 mi WaterfallBlackwater FallsDolly 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 · George Washington and Jefferson National Forests: Aneta Kaluzna, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Blackwater Falls: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant), CC BY-SA 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Petersburg
About 3 of every 100 Petersburg residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Where Petersburg’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Petersburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Petersburg.
City in West Virginia, US
Petersburg is a city in Grant County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,251 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Grant County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($62,361 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
5 notable people were born here, including Joan Banks and P. J. Plauger.
