Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,790, settled in 1839. 26% more nonprofits per person than the typical West Virginia town.
Trash day: look up yoursRavenswood gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $178K for a typical one, or 3 years of the county’s $59K median household income. It grades B− overall, 18th of 61 graded towns in West Virginia. The low prices come with trade-offs. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, its public schools beat 77% of West Virginia towns on state tests and graduation. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Ravenswood, against 16% in West Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 11 of West Virginia’s 141 towns do better. Ravenswood has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Rankin Octagonal Barn and Sarvis Fork Covered Bridge.
Where Ravenswood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Ravenswood | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 39.4% | 19.5% |
Where Ravenswood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Ravenswood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 362 in 1870, 3,865 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ravenswood, 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 Ravenswood.
Ravenswood pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it has poverty well above the West Virginia rate.
20% of adults have diabetes in Ravenswood. Among 61 West Virginia towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Ravenswood. 32% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Ravenswood.
| Ravenswood | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 44% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 32% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ravenswood | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82% | 79.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 39.4% | 19.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $179K.
Its public schools are run by the Jackson County Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ravenswood High School, with 397 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravenswood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 306 | A− |
| Ravenswood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 397 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Since 1985, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ravenswood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 1,284 working residents takes 18.9 minutes, against 26.6 across West Virginia.
Most working residents leave Ravenswood for work: only 14% work in town. Ravenswood’s median household income is $34,000. Since 2013, Ravenswood has lost 164 jobs, to 875 in 2023.
| Ravenswood | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $34,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ravenswood has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 24° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
31.4% of residents live below the poverty line, against 16.7% across West Virginia, which weighs on its C− for jobs and income. The median household earns $34,241, against $59,608 across West Virginia.
Adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide). The median age in Ravenswood is 49 years. 16% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.9 points). Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Ravenswood | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.8% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.6% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.1% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.4% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.7% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.7% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.9% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.7% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9.4% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,800, single groups can be off by several points
No town among the 31 in West Virginia we compare has a lower property crime rate than Ravenswood. Ravenswood's reported crime rate is well below West Virginia's. 5 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Ravenswood | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 16.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.8 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Turkey Run Lake Wildlife Management Area, at 30 acres.
| Ravenswood | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverfront Park | 0.4 mi | 15 |
| 2. Turkey Run Lake Wildlife Management Area | — | 30 |
| 3. Veterans Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $179K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles. 72.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.9% across West Virginia.
Typical home values rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Ravenswood | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $714 a month | $882 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 68% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Ravenswood; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Ravenswood residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
2 places in Ravenswood on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Ravenswood.
City in West Virginia, US
Ravenswood is a city in Jackson County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,865 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ravenswood grades B− overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #18 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D− for health and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Bill Denver and Howard Hartley.
