Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 570, settled in 1898.
No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher July high than Ridgeley. Ridgeley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 1,709 in 1920, a peak of 1,972 in 1930, 591 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1991 and 7 maps from 1898 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ridgeley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi National MemorialFlight 93 National Memorial286K visitors a year
24 mi MountainMount Davis
in town National Historical ParkChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park4.6M visitors a year
in town LandmarkFort Cumberland
34 mi LakeDeep Creek Lake
38 mi State parkOhiopyle State ParkFlight 93 National Memorial: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Davis: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: Bonnachoven, CC0 · Fort Cumberland: Unknown, Public domain · Deep Creek Lake: Gohens84, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ohiopyle State Park: Hubert Stoffels from Pittsburgh, USA, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ridgeley, 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 Ridgeley.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 92% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 23% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 33% of residents (21% statewide). 18% of Ridgeley adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more, below both the West Virginia town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Ridgeley has lost 3.4% of its people since 2020, down to 570 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.2 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Ridgeley | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.4% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.6% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.3% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 1.3% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.4% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 27.6% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.9% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 48% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 11% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 5.2% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Most working residents leave Ridgeley for work: only 4% work in town. Ridgeley’s average trip to work is 17 minutes, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 21 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The median household income in Ridgeley is $41,000.
| Ridgeley | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 14% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 16% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Ridgeley home is worth about $223,000, up 2.5% in a year, 26% above the West Virginia typical home. Ridgeley’s median rent is $783 a month.
| Ridgeley | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $783 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ridgeley has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 23° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ridgeley beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Ridgeley.
| Ridgeley | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ridgeley | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 9.8% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ridgeley
About 3 of every 100 Ridgeley residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
Where Ridgeley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in West Virginia, United States
Ridgeley is a town in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States, and part of the Cumberland Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 590 people at the 2020 census. Ridgeley was initially known as St. Clairsville, named for Sir John St Clair, Lt Colonel and Quartermaster General for the British General Edward Braddock. St Clair accompanied Braddock on his ill-fated march on Fort Duquesne and his disastrous defeat on July 9, 1755. It was incorporated as Ridgeley on November 28, 1914, named for the former owners of the land upon which the town was built.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ridgeley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including John Lookabaugh and Abby Beeman.
