Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Weston gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $123K, 2.2 years of the county’s $56K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 40th of 61 in West Virginia. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. Only 6 of West Virginia’s 141 towns score higher on history. Weston's schools rank behind 86% of the state's. Among 31 West Virginia towns, just 2 have a lower violent crime rate than Weston.
Where Weston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Weston State Hospital is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 820 in 1860, a peak of 8,945 in 1950, 3,952 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 4 maps from 1904 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 Weston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Weston, 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 Weston.
Weston fares better on crime within West Virginia than nationally and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Weston, above both the West Virginia town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 19% of Weston adults report frequent physical distress. Weston beats the West Virginia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Weston | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Weston | WV |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.1% | 19.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.7% | 16.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.5% | 11% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lewis County Schools. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert L. Bland Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 503 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WV on state tests and graduation
190 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 190 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Weston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Among 54 West Virginia towns, just 4 have a lower share of conserved land than Weston. At 0.6 miles per square mile, Weston’s trail density is against 0.3 in West Virginia’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| Weston | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Weston City Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.2 years of the county’s $56K median household income, the typical home (about $123K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of West Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living. Values fell 2.6% in the past year while the West Virginia typical home rose 2.6%.
53% of households own their home in Weston. The typical Weston home is worth about $123,000, 30% below the West Virginia typical home. Weston’s median rent is $770 a month.
| Weston | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $770 a month | $882 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Weston has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 23° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 86% of West Virginia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 41 to 20 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Weston is 4.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here fell from 3,512 in 2013 to 1,807. The average commute for its 1,455 working residents takes 20 minutes, against 26.6 across West Virginia.
Most working residents leave Weston for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Weston fell to 1,807 in 2023, 1,705 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Bridgeport (8%), Morgantown (3%) and Clarksburg (3%).
| Weston | West Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Weston
About 2 of every 100 Weston residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across West Virginia.
6 places in Weston on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Weston.
City in West Virginia, US
Weston is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,943 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Weston grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #40 of 61 in West Virginia. It grades D− for health, B+ for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
14 notable people were born here, including Rush D. Holt, Jr. and Rush Holt Sr..
