Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,383, settled in 1842.
The best of Wayne’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 7 of West Virginia’s 89 towns score lower on civic life. Wayne County World War I Memorial is on the National Register of Historic Places. Wayne has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Wayne beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Wayne is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 157 in 1880, 1,443 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 5 maps from 1909 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wayne, 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 Wayne.
In Wayne, 81% of adults had a checkup this year. This West Virginia town tracks West Virginia closely on all 32 CDC measures. Just over a fifth of Wayne adults report frequent mental distress, against 21% in West Virginia’s towns and 17% across U.S. towns.
| Wayne | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The public schools here belong to the Wayne County Schools. The largest public high school is Wayne High School, with 525 students. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 344 | C− |
| Wayne High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 525 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
For residents in Wayne, the share who live below the poverty line is 26%. Since 2013, Wayne has added 315 jobs, to 1,427 in 2023. The mean commuting time for Wayne comes to 21 minutes, near the West Virginia town median (21 minutes) and below the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Half the trips to work are shorter than 14 miles.
| Wayne | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 26% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Wayne has had 15 paid flood insurance claims since 1978. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 97% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Wayne after 9 declared disasters, most recently in 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values are up 6.1% over the year to September 2026. Only 4 of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of renters spending 30% or more of income on rent than Wayne. Its median rent comes in at $789 a month.
| Wayne | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 68% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 66% | 48% | 48% |
| Median rent | $789 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Walkers can cover 0.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Wayne | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Twelvepole Valley Athletic Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Wayne Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wayne. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Theme parkCamden Park
33 mi National forestWayne National Forest
11 mi MuseumHuntington Museum of Art
10 mi MuseumHeritage Farm Museum and Village12 mi MuseumMuseum of Radio and Technology
35 mi MuseumU.S. 23 Country Music Highway MuseumCamden Park: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Wayne National Forest: Forest Service, USDA, Public domain · Huntington Museum of Art: Daderot, CC0 · Heritage Farm Museum and Village: Zeo1989, CC BY-SA 4.0 · U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum: J654567, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Wayne
About 4 of every 100 Wayne residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
Where Wayne’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in West Virginia, United States
Wayne is a town in and the county seat of Wayne County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,441 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2 notable people were born here, including Joseph Jefferson Mansfield and Larry McClure.
