Valley BendWV
The town was settled in 1866 and has 661 residents today.
Is Valley Bend a good place to live?
Valley Bend’s average trip to work is 48 minutes, above both the West Virginia town median (21 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town among the 62 in West Virginia we compare has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Valley Bend. The biggest park or preserve is Valley Bend Wetlands Wildlife Management Area, at 31 acres. Valley Bend has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
661 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Valley Bend.
More middle-aged adults than West Virginia overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 54% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 13% of residents (21% statewide). West Virginia has nearly a quarter of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 27%. 20% never finished high school.
| Valley Bend | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 16% and 86% women
The Census survey reached too few of Valley Bend’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±35.2 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Valley Bend | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.4% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.9% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 3.3% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 34.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 1.7% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.6% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 20% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.4% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.4% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 1.8% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.3% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 0% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 700, single groups can be off by several points
Compared with most of West Virginia and the rest of the country, fewer of Valley Bend’s working residents work locally
Employers in Valley Bend shed 131 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 29. Half of commuters travel less than 20 miles. The top destinations are Elkins (17%), Buckhannon (4%) and Beverly (4%).
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest natural risk in Valley Bend is inland flooding, at a high overall level
90% of Valley Bend’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Valley Bend’s year
July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 20° and about 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Valley Bend is
For adults in Valley Bend, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 24%. The town tracks West Virginia closely on all 32 CDC measures. In Valley Bend, 45% of adults have obesity, and 43% sleep under 7 hours. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Valley Bend.
| Valley Bend | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 41% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 40% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 33% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.5% of Valley Bend is conserved land
Only 4 of the 55 West Virginia towns we compare have a lower density of trails than Valley Bend. In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 0.1 miles of trail.
| Valley Bend | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Valley Bend Wetlands Wildlife Management Area | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Valley Bend
Moving to Valley Bend: who provides what
Valley Bend is unincorporated, so Randolph 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.
99% of working residents leave Valley Bend for work
Where Valley Bend’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Valley Bend
About 0 of every 100 Valley Bend residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
About Valley Bend
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
Valley Bend is a census-designated place (CDP) in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. Valley Bend is located on U.S. routes 219 and 250, as well as state routes 55 and 92, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northwest of Mill Creek. Valley Bend has a post office with ZIP code 26293. As of the 2020 census, its population was 470 (down from 485 at the 2010 census). The community was named for a nearby meander in the Tygart Valley River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,028 ft
- ZIP code
- 26293
Questions about Valley Bend
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Valley Bend, WV a good place to live?
Valley Bend has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Say something about Valley Bend.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.