West DunbarWV
A town of 425.
Is West Dunbar a good place to live?
West Dunbar has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes West Dunbar stand out
Where West Dunbar beats most towns.
425 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to West Dunbar: who provides what
West Dunbar 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in West Dunbar.
A larger share of residents in West Dunbar live below the poverty line than in the typical West Virginia or U.S. town
0.5% of West Dunbar working residents work locally, below both the West Virginia town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in West Dunbar dropped by 203, to 470. The top destinations are Charleston (31%), South Charleston (9%) and Dunbar (3%).
| West Dunbar | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 47% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.5% | 14% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Very high risk in West Dunbar, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA puts 94% of West Dunbar’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. On expected storm and flood damage, West Dunbar sits above 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
West Dunbar stands out in West Virginia and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure
Of the 62 West Virginia towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than West Dunbar. 46% of West Dunbar adults have obesity. This West Virginia town does better than the West Virginia average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 10.
| West Dunbar | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 54% | 44% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 40% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | West Dunbar | WV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.6% | 14.1% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 26.4% | 30.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17.3% | 11% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median home in West Dunbar sells for about $125K
The share of households in West Dunbar who own their home: 48%. The typical rent in the town is $784 a month.
| West Dunbar | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $784 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shawnee Community Center Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about West Dunbar
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of West Dunbar
About 5 of every 100 West Dunbar residents are enrolled in college, about the same as West Virginia.
Every workday, about 469 people come to West Dunbar for work
Where West Dunbar’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About West Dunbar
Census-designated place in West Virginia, United States
West Dunbar is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 617. West Dunbar is in the western part of the county, on the north side of the Kanawha River valley. It is bordered to the south and east by the city of Dunbar. West Virginia Route 25 (Fairlawn Avenue) forms the northeast border of the community. Route 25 leads southeast into Dunbar and east 8 miles (13 km) to Charleston, the state capital, while in the other direction it leads northwest 6 miles (10 km) to Nitro. Interstate 64 runs parallel to Route 25 just outside the CDP; the closest highway access is from Exit 50, 1 m…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 604 ft
Questions about West Dunbar
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Dunbar, WV a good place to live?
West Dunbar has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.