Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,064, settled in 1902.
Rand’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 13 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score lower on hazard risk. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country. Only 2 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Rand. Rand has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
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 Rand is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1973 and 5 maps from 1909 on.
Rand is unincorporated, so Kanawha County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Rand.
49% of adults have high blood pressure in Rand, above both West Virginia’s towns (44%) and U.S. towns (35%). 18% of adults have diabetes in Rand. Rand beats the West Virginia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Rand | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 44% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
| What stands out | Rand | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8.2% | 9.6% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 70.4% | 66.5% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 17.5% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carver Career CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 96% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Rand for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Rand grew to 251 in 2023, 74 more than in 2013. 8.6% of residents live below the poverty line in Rand, against 16% in West Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
| Rand | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 8.6% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Rand has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 25% of residents (21% statewide). The median age in Rand is 48.2 years. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
| Rand | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.2 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 29% | 29% |
Somewhere between 27% and 85% women
The Census survey reached too few of Rand’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±29 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Rand | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.7% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 25.4% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.4% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.4% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.6% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 19.1% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.9% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.3% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.8% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.5% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
56% of Rand households own their home.
| Rand | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $953 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of Rand
About 1 of every 100 Rand residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Where Rand’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Rand is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Kanawha River in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,543 (down from 1,631 at the 2010 census). It is surrounded by the communities of Malden and DuPont City.
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. The typical home is worth about $90,000, 49% below the West Virginia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
2 notable people were born here, including Randy Moss and Chris Hakel.