Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shepherdstown’s best subject grades are an A for walkability and an A− for cost of living and health. 71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Shepherdstown, above both West Virginia’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 2 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score higher on health. No town in West Virginia scores higher than Shepherdstown on history. Shepherdstown's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns. Shepherdstown is home to Shepherd University. Shepherdstown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Shepherdstown beats most towns.
Shepherd's Mill
Census counts: 1,561 in 1850, 1,531 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 5 maps from 1914 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Shepherdstown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shepherdstown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
Big draw26 mi LandmarkMount Weather Emergency Operations Center
3 mi National BattlefieldAntietam National Battlefield161K visitors a year
in town National Historical ParkChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park4.6M visitors a year
7 mi National Historical ParkHarpers Ferry National Historical Park538K visitors a year
4 mi LandmarkDunker ChurchRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center: Unknown, Public domain · Antietam National Battlefield: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: Bonnachoven, CC0 · Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: Mark Fickett, CC BY 3.0 · Dunker Church: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shepherdstown, 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 Shepherdstown.
The typical Shepherdstown home is worth about $488,000, up 4% in a year, 3 times the West Virginia typical home. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 4 have a higher median rent than Shepherdstown.
| Shepherdstown | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,201 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Shepherdstown for work: only 5% work in town. Shepherdstown’s average trip to work is 17 minutes, against 21 minutes in West Virginia’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 6.2% of Shepherdstown residents live below the poverty line.
| Shepherdstown | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 14% | 8% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
7.2% of adults have diabetes in Shepherdstown. Of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have obesity than Shepherdstown. 26% of adults have high blood pressure in Shepherdstown.
| Shepherdstown | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.2% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 44% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Shepherdstown | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.4% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.8% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 65.8% | 79.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Shepherdstown has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Shepherdstown is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Shepherdstown's reported crime rate is well below West Virginia's. Shepherdstown’s property crime rate is 5.3 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Shepherdstown | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 20.4 | 14.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.9 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. James Rumsey Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Shepherdstown
College town 62 of every 100 Shepherdstown residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
11 places in Shepherdstown on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Shepherdstown.
Town in West Virginia, United States
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. It is located in the upper Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River and is home to Shepherd University. The town's population was 1,531 at the 2020 census. Shepherdstown was established in 1762 along with Romney; they are the oldest towns in West Virginia.
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. That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($126,684 across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro 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−.
15 notable people were born here, including Robert Lucas and Jesse B. Thomas.
.jpg){kind=link}