Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,255, laid out in 1790.
The best of Wellsburg’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and history and an A− for civic life; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 37% of residents are 65 or older in Wellsburg, where West Virginia’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 18%. Wellsburg's schools rank behind 93% of the state's. Among 62 West Virginia towns, just 1 have a higher median age than Wellsburg. Its National Register listings include Miller's Tavern and Wellsburg Wharf. Wellsburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Wellsburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Miller's Tavern
Census counts: 1,366 in 1870, a peak of 6,398 in 1930, 2,450 in 2020. The archive holds 45 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 5 maps from 1904 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within West Virginia), ordered by how far Wellsburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wellsburg, 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 Wellsburg.
Its public schools are run by the Brooke County Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooke Primary School SouthLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–2 | Grades K–2 | 203 | – |
| The Bruin BridgeLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
Wellsburg beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 47% of adults have high blood pressure in Wellsburg, above both the West Virginia town median (44%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 44% of Wellsburg adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Wellsburg | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 44% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 23% |
| What stands out | Wellsburg | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 344 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wellsburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
17% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Wellsburg. Wellsburg has lost 7.4% of its people since 2020, down to 2,255 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5 points. Across West Virginia, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Wellsburg | WV | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.9% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.9% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.1% | 12% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 26.6% | 12.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.5% | 8.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.6% | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 43.1% | 39.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.3% | 17.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.8% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 7.3% | 14.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10% | 9.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,300, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Wellsburg home is worth about $122,000, down 3.5% in a year, 31% below the West Virginia typical home. The median rent in Wellsburg is $624 a month.
| Wellsburg | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $624 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Wellsburg has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Wellsburg for work: only 14% work in town. Wellsburg’s median household income is $43,000. Jobs based in Wellsburg fell to 1,230 in 2023, 171 fewer than in 2013.
| Wellsburg | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 14% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 15th Street Park | — | 2 |
| 2. Central Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wellsburg. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
6 mi MuseumMeadowcroft Rockshelter
34 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
34 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
40 mi Theme parkKennywood
35 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints ArenaAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Meadowcroft Rockshelter: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · PPG Paints Arena: Jleedev, CC BY-SA 4.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Wellsburg
About 4 of every 100 Wellsburg residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
2,805 counted in 2010 and 2,450 in 2020; an estimated 2,255 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
15 places in Wellsburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Wellsburg.
City in West Virginia, United States
Wellsburg is a city in and the county seat of Brooke County, West Virginia, United States. The 2020 census recorded a population of 2,455. It is a part of the Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area. The city's economy includes several telemarketing facilities, and a factory that does metal fabrication and plastics molding.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Wellsburg.
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+.
6 notable people were born here, including Glenn Davis and Isaac H. Duval.
.jpg){kind=link}
