Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
The best of Shinnston’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and walkability and an A− for schools; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 2 of the 32 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Shinnston. Shinnston has 2 places on the National Register. Shinnston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Shinnston beats most towns.
Levi Shinn House
Census counts: 289 in 1880, 2,328 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1967 and 5 maps from 1902 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Shinnston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shinnston, 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 Shinnston.
Shinnston beats the West Virginia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 30% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Shinnston, below the West Virginia town median (31%) but above the median of U.S. towns (23%). 13% of Shinnston adults binge drink.
| Shinnston | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 44% | 35% |
| What stands out | Shinnston | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 16.2% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 59.1% | 55.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Harrison County Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Lincoln High School, with 527 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Elm Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 567 | C+ |
| Lincoln High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 527 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shinnston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Shinnston for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Shinnston fell to 750 in 2023, 129 fewer than in 2013. 12% of residents live below the poverty line in Shinnston, against 16% in West Virginia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
| Shinnston | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 9% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Shinnston home is worth about $135,000, up 2% in a year, 23% below the West Virginia typical home. 78% of households own their home in Shinnston.
| Shinnston | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $972 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Shinnston has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 22° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Shinnston's reported crime rate is well below West Virginia's. The property crime rate in Shinnston is 2.7 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 35 to 64 are 42% of residents (38% statewide). Shinnston has lost 3% of its people since 2020, down to 2,241 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
| Shinnston | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.6 years | 42.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 29% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.1 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Shinnston | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.4% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.5% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.5% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.5% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.5% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.4% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.9% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.2% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,200, single groups can be off by several points
2 within 15 miles of the center of Shinnston
About 5 of every 100 Shinnston residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
Where Shinnston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Shinnston on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Shinnston.
City in West Virginia, US
Shinnston is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, along the West Fork River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,328. The community was settled during the Revolutionary War period by members of the Shinn family. Levi Shinn's log house, built in 1778 along what is now U.S. Route 19, is the oldest house in Harrison County. In 1944, Shinnston was struck by the deadliest tornado in West Virginia history.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Shinnston.
| Town | WV rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shinnston | — | — | A | — | A− | C− |
| Enterprise | — | — | A+ | — | A− | D |
Shinnston and Enterprise have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Shinnston and Enterprise report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Shinnston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
6 notable people were born here, including Bathsheba W. Smith and Dick Brown.
