ShannondaleWV
The town has 3,465 residents and lies in West Virginia.
Is Shannondale a good place to live?
Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. Its lowest grade is for walkability (D−). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Shannondale grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns. That places it 36th of 61 in West Virginia. It lags on health as well (C−): CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 78% of the country. Where it does best is cost of living — a typical home costs about $294K, 2.3 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. The town has 2 places on the National Register.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · National Register of Historic Places.
What makes Shannondale stand out
Where Shannondale beats most towns.
98% of working residents leave Shannondale for work
Where Shannondale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Shannondale grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Shannondale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center and 43 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shannondale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi LandmarkMount Weather Emergency Operations Center
29 mi MuseumSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center1.6M visitors a year
29 mi National ParkShenandoah National Park1.7M visitors a year
40 mi LandmarkCIA Memorial Wall
5 mi National Historical ParkHarpers Ferry National Historical Park538K visitors a year
16 mi National BattlefieldAntietam National Battlefield161K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center: Unknown, Public domain · Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Shenandoah National Park: Image copyright 2005 by user G. Edward Johnson (user Lorax) and released under t, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CIA Memorial Wall: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: Mark Fickett, CC BY 3.0 · Antietam National Battlefield: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0
Moving to Shannondale: who provides what
Shannondale is unincorporated, so Jefferson 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Shannondale.
Shannondale trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, sends many workers across the state line to Frederick and keeps more of its land conserved than most of West Virginia.
Conserved land covers nearly a third of Shannondale
Its 1,866 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other West Virginia town. Its A for the outdoors ranks #3 of 61 in West Virginia.
In Shannondale, the trail network density is 2.0 miles per square mile, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Walkers can cover 18 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Shannondale Springs Wildlife Management Area, 1,271 acres with 13.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shannondale Springs Wildlife Management Area | 13.2 mi | 1,271 |
| 2. Appalachian National Scenic Trail | 0.9 mi | 124 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Shannondale’s public schools trail 55% of West Virginia districts
The public schools here belong to the Jefferson County Schools. Its one school is below. Enrollment at Shannondale’s public school: 372 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 372 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
For health, Shannondale earns a C−
Within West Virginia it is healthier than 72% of the 61 graded towns: much of West Virginia scores lower on these measures.
The share of adults in Shannondale who worry about having enough food is 13%, below the West Virginia town median (17%) and near the median of U.S. towns (14%). 30% of Shannondale adults feel lonely. This West Virginia town does better than the West Virginia average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 1. Two figures for adults locally: 30% have been diagnosed with depression, 20% report frequent mental distress.
| Shannondale | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 44% | 35% |
| What stands out | Shannondale | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.2% | 19.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.3% | 4.2% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 75.7% | 79.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Shannondale, the average trip to work runs longer than in the typical West Virginia or U.S. town
48% of working residents cross a state line to work, Frederick among the top destinations. Shannondale has 88 jobs for its 1,505 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Leesburg (5%), Ranson corporation (5%) and Charles Town (3%). Only 5 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Shannondale. In Shannondale, 2% of working residents work locally.
| Shannondale | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 49 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 14% | 8% |
| Work from home | 15% | 9.8% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 17% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Shannondale
In July, afternoons reach 87°; in January, nights fall to 24°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More middle-aged adults than West Virginia overall
West Virginia has 24% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 32%. Adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 16% of residents (21% statewide). For residents in Shannondale, the share who are under 18 is 15%.
| Shannondale | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.4 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.7 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Shannondale | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.3% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.6% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.1% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.5% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.5% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.5% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,500, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Shannondale, mostly inland flooding
72% of Shannondale’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by strong winds at 8%. On expected storm and flood damage, Shannondale sits above just over half of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 6 claims locally since 1996.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A home in Shannondale sells for about $400K at the median
Homes are within reach (A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles. At 2.3 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 80% of West Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
Among households in Shannondale, 86% live in a home they own. The midpoint rent in the town is $1,269 a month. Bidding over the asking price: 36% of homes sold locally.
| Shannondale | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,269 a month | $874 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Shannondale
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Shannondale
About 6 of every 100 Shannondale residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
About Shannondale
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Shannondale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,487 (up from 3,358 at the 2010 census).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 561 ft
Questions about Shannondale
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shannondale, WV a good place to live?
Shannondale grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #36 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Shannondale, WV expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $294,000, 66% above 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−.