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Rock Cave
West Virginia›Upshur County

Rock CaveWV

Upper Glady School · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Photo of Rock Cave

Rock Cave, WV · Upper Glady School · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain

Is Rock Cave a good place to live?

Rock Cave’s midpoint age is 65.3 years, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 42.2 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just one has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Rock Cave. Rock Cave has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

What makes Rock Cave stand out

Where Rock Cave beats most towns.

Small town

276 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
2017-07-30 11 47 44 View south along West Virginia State Route 20 (Ireland-Rock Cave Road) at Fish Hawk Drive in
2017-07-30 11 47 44 View south along West Virginia State Route 20 (Ireland-Rock Cave Road) at Fish Hawk Drive in, 2017
Rock Cave’s story

167 years in pictures

The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 2 maps from 1912 on.

  • 1859Rock Cave is settled
Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Rock Cave: who provides what

Rock Cave is unincorporated, so Upshur County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerMon Power14.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAdrian P S D water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers61% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesUpshur CountyUpshur County provides services here
SchoolsUpshur 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 hereUpshur Clerk of the County CommissionUpshur County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes26234, 26218, 2634326234 94% · 26218 4% · 26343 2%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 Rock Cave.

Who lives here

54% of residents are 65 or older

The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 21%, against 24% across West Virginia.

65.3median age · WV 42.7
Rock CaveWest VirginiaUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma3%
High school57%
Some college14%
Associate’s6%
Bachelor’s12%
Graduate9%

Women and men · all residents

51% women, 49% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.6 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Rock Cave
Rock CaveWVU.S.
Under 103.6%10.3%11.6%
10 to 172.2%9.7%10.3%
18 to 248%8.8%9.1%
25 to 3413.8%12%13.7%
35 to 444.7%12%13.2%
45 to 542.2%12.6%12.2%
55 to 6412%13.6%12.7%
65 to 7447.5%12.6%10.2%
75 and older6.2%8.4%7%
No diploma3.4%10.7%10.4%
High school56.7%39.3%26%
Some college13.9%17.5%19.1%
Associate’s5.5%8.4%8.8%
Bachelor’s11.8%14.4%21.6%
Graduate8.8%9.7%14.1%

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points

Schools

The schools Rock Cave’s kids attend

The Upshur County Schools runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 112 students attend Rock Cave’s public school.

SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Rock Cave ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5Grades PK–5112C

NCES · EDFacts

Natural hazards

The biggest natural risk in Rock Cave is inland flooding, at a high overall level

In Rock Cave, the FEMA risk score is 79 of 100. Federal aid has come to Rock Cave households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2026. Just over four fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 7%.

79risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
79High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Housing

The typical home in Rock Cave: about $124K

Values fell 2.2% in the year to September 2026.

$124KZillow home value

Typical home value

Rock Cave$124K
West Virginia$177K
−2.2%
value change, 1 year

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

Rock Cave has snowy winters and pleasant summers

A winter brings about 55 inches of snow, with January nights at 23° and July afternoons at 83°.

55″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter25–43°
Spring40–64°
Summer60–82°
Fall43–66°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

A job hub: Rock Cave has 1.4 jobs for every working resident and draws in 167 commuters

The top destinations are Buckhannon (19%), Bridgeport (7%) and Clarksburg (7%). Most people who work leave Rock Cave to do it: just 3% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs locally rose by 49, to 170. For half of commuters, work is under 20 miles away.

3%work in town
Rock CaveWest Virginia townsU.S. towns
Working residents who work in town2.5%14%8%
Average trip to work25 minutes21 minutes25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Rock Cave3%
Buckhannon19%
Bridgeport7%
Clarksburg7%
Weston3%
20 mi
median commute distance
170
jobs based in Rock Cave
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Health

How healthy Rock Cave is

Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Rock Cave. The town beats the West Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 49% of Rock Cave adults have high blood pressure.

Rock CaveWest Virginia townsU.S. towns
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)49%44%35%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)20%17%14%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)19%16%12%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)22%18%14%
32 measures vs. West Virginia
1 better23 too close to call8 worse
What stands outRock CaveWV
More adults treating high blood pressure82.4%79.5%
More adults with COPD13.3%10.6%
St. Joseph's Hospital of Buckhannon
11.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

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

Outdoors

Conserved land covers 0.5% of Rock Cave

Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 1.0 miles. Rock Cave has one park or preserve, 10 acres in all. In Rock Cave, the trail density is 0.3 miles per square mile.

0.5%conserved
Rock CaveWest Virginia townsU.S. towns
Conserved land0.5%2.5%4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile0.3 miles per square mile0.40.4
0.5%
conserved · 9 of 1,973 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. West Virginia Wildlife Reserve0.1 mi10

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Rock Cave

17pages on Rock Cave
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Rock Cave

About Rock Cave

Unincorporated community in West Virginia, United States

Rock Cave is a census designated unincorporated community in Upshur County, West Virginia, United States. The town is located southwest of Buckhannon at the junction of West Virginia Route 4 with County Routes 11/2 and 20/28. As of the 2020 census, Rock Cave had a population of 319. Throughout the community's history, Rock Cave has been known as Bob Town, Centerville, and Centreville. The community's name is a corruption of Rock Lava, which referred to rocks purportedly of volcanic origin unearthed near the town site. Rock Cave's public schools are operated by Upshur County Schools.

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

Elevation
1,745 ft
ZIP code
26234

Questions about Rock Cave

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Rock Cave, WV a good place to live?

Rock Cave has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.