Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,593.
Sissonville gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $172K, 2.9 years of the Charleston metro’s $60K median household income. It grades C− overall, 42nd among West Virginia's 61 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 98% of the country, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 3 of the 61 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of children under 18 than Sissonville. Sissonville is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns. Among 61 West Virginia towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Sissonville.
Where Sissonville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Sissonville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Sissonville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,399 in 2000, 4,084 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1921 and 3 maps from 1906 on.
Explore the history →Sissonville is unincorporated, so Kanawha 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Sissonville.
Sissonville has little public open land, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
50% of adults have high blood pressure in Sissonville, above both West Virginia’s towns (44%) and U.S. towns (35%). 18% of adults have diabetes in Sissonville. Sissonville beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10.
| Sissonville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 44% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Sissonville | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.2% | 19.5% |
| More smokers | 23.5% | 19.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.7% | 16.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Kanawha County Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flinn Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 430 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
At 93 of 100, Sissonville’s FEMA risk score is above both the West Virginia town median (69 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100).
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Sissonville for work: only 4% work in town. 23% of Sissonville residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Sissonville has lost 95 jobs, to 908 in 2023.
| Sissonville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Sissonville has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (20% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide). 15% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 24% across West Virginia.
| Sissonville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.2 years | 42.3 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.6 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 55 to 64, 81% are men (WV 49%).
| Sissonville | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.9% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.9% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.6% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.8% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.6% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.6% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.4% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 19.5% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.1% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.9% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,600, single groups can be off by several points
72.6% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.9% across West Virginia.
The typical Sissonville home is worth about $172,000, up 1.7% in a year, close to the West Virginia typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 0 of its 8,175 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Sissonville itself; its outdoors grade is D−.
1.3 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. The trail density in Sissonville is 0.1 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Sissonville
About 4 of every 100 Sissonville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
Census-designated place in Kanawha county West Virginia, United States
Sissonville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, along the Pocatalico River. The population was 4,084 at the 2020 census (slightly up from 4,028 at the 2010 census). Sissonville is located within 14 miles of Charleston, the state capital.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sissonville grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #42 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D− for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.