Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A typical home costs 2 years of the county’s $64K median household income.
Sistersville’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and schools and an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 41% of residents live below the poverty line in Sistersville, above both West Virginia’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 9 of West Virginia’s 140 towns score lower on incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. Sistersville has 6 places on the National Register. Only 5 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score lower on the outdoors. Sistersville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Sistersville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Sistersville City Hall
Census counts: 351 in 1860, a peak of 3,238 in 1920, 1,412 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 4 maps from 1960 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Sistersville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sistersville, 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 Sistersville.
32% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Sistersville, above both the West Virginia town median (31%) and the median of U.S. towns (23%). 22% of adults report frequent mental distress in Sistersville.
| Sistersville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sistersville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Sistersville for work: only 6% work in town. Sistersville’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Jobs based in Sistersville fell to 234 in 2023, 701 fewer than in 2013.
| Sistersville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.3% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Sistersville home is worth about $130,000, up 1.2% in a year, 27% below the West Virginia typical home. The median rent in Sistersville is $812 a month.
| Sistersville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $812 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Sistersville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 22° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 17% of residents (21% statewide). 17% of Sistersville adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Sistersville has lost 6.3% of its people since 2020, down to 1,319 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Sistersville | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 17% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 21% | 18% |
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.3 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Sistersville | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.5% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.3% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.2% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 49.1% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 8.3% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.2% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
None within 15 miles of Sistersville; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Sistersville residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
6 places in Sistersville on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Sistersville.
City in West Virginia, US
Sistersville is a city in Tyler County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,413 at the 2020 census. The Sistersville Ferry crosses the Ohio River to the unincorporated community of Fly in Monroe County, Ohio.
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. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
3 notable people were born here, including Bill Bolling and David F. Thornton.
