PickensWV

A town, settled in 1891.

New Deal Resources in Holly River State Park Historic District · Photo: Aparkswv · CC BY-SA 4.0

Land area

2 sq mi

Is Pickens a good place to live?

Pickens’ July high is 77°F, below both West Virginia’s towns (86°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare, none has a lower January low than Pickens. We don’t grade Pickens yet; the figures below are still real.

Getting set up

Moving to Pickens: who provides what

Pickens is unincorporated, so Randolph County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerMon Power14.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4

Trash & county servicesRandolph CountyRandolph County provides services here

SchoolsRandolph County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereRandolph Clerk of the County CommissionRandolph County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021

ZIP code2623026230 100%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 Pickens.

Natural hazards

Pickens faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities.

73risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland flooding

Full pagePickens’ hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters18 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready2 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Schools

The schools Pickens’s kids attend

Its public schools are run by the Randolph County Schools. Its one school is below.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Pickens Elementary/High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12	Grades PK–12	29	D

Full pagePickens’ schools pageOpen the page

The districtsRandolph County Schools Every school1 school · Pickens Elementary/High School Questions“Are Pickens’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Pickens

Pickens has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 77° and January nights drop to 20°.

77°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter22–39°

Spring38–59°

Summer57–76°

Fall41–61°

Oct 19

typical first frost

Apr 25

typical last frost

+1.3°

vs. the 20th-century average

77°

typical summer high

Full pagePickens’ climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 77°, January lows 20°Rain & snow61″ of rain a year · Rain a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.3° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Pickens is

Pickens sits where West Virginia’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 23% on this measure. Pickens beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 45% of adults have obesity in Pickens.

	Pickens	West Virginia towns	U.S. towns
Depression (CDC PLACES)	32%	31%	23%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	45%	41%	35%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	22%	21%	17%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	18%	17%	14%

32 measures vs. West Virginia

0 better31 too close to call1 worse

What stands out	Pickens	WV
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	24.6%	19.5%

Webster Memorial Hospital

15.9 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pagePickens’ health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby15.9 miles to an ER · Webster Memorial Hospital How adults are doingMore lonely adults Every CDC estimateBetter than WV on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Pickens

14pages on Pickens

The big questions

Schools1 school HealthBetter than WV on 0 of 32 CDC measures Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 73% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

PlacesAttractions16 nearby · West Virginia State Wildlife Center 15 mi LibraryHelvetia Public Library Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1891 Climate77° summer highs

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 26230 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Pickens; the nearest are

West Virginia Wesleyan CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Buckhannon23.1 mi$34,090 tuition Glenville State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Glenville38.5 mi$9,578 in-state tuition Pierpont Community and Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fairmont53.7 mi$5,762 in-state tuition

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Pickens

Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States

Pickens is a census-designated place (CDP) in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. Pickens is 13 miles (21 km) west-southwest of Huttonsville. It is the home of the Cunningham-Roberts Museum. Pickens has a post office with ZIP code 26230. As of the 2020 census, its population was 41 (down from 66 at the 2010 census).

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 2.0 sq mi
Elevation: 2,687 ft
ZIP code: 26230

Questions about Pickens

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Pickens, WV a good place to live?

We don’t grade Pickens yet; the figures below are still real.

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