Compare towns
Lester vs Red Jacket 46 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (27.7× in Lester) and jobs per worker (2.4× in Red Jacket).
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Lester, WV Homes around $138K West Virginia · 377 people
Where each one shines Two towns, two different strengths What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.
Red Jacket A small town of 482
Quiet strengths Red Jacket doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Red Jacket →
The biggest differences Where they differ most The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.
★ What stands out · Monthly cost A typical home costs $250 more a month in Red Jacket A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.
Down payment3.5% 10% 20% Rate
Lester $930 /mo
Typical home $138K (Zillow) · tax rate est. 1.8% · or rent about $850/mo · Housing →
Red Jacket $1,180 /mo
Typical home $208K (Census) · tax rate 0.53% · Housing →
The difference: $250 a month , about $3,000 a year , between Red Jacket and Lester.
Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.
Life in each Lester gets 43 more inches of snow a year The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.
Outdoors & history
Community
A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.
Where they are 46 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Lester ↔ Red Jacket 46 miles apart
Everything, side by side What matters to you? Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
Raising kids Affordability Owning a home Short commute Working from home Younger crowd Settled, older crowd Growing town Outdoorsy Walkable streets
Population
377 Lowest 482 Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census
— -9.6%
Median age
56 ±19.9 Highest 31% above WV 55.4 ±25.9 Lowest 30% above WV
Kids under 18
23.9% ±12 Highest WV: 20% 18% ±15.6 Lowest WV: 20%
Age 65+
29.2% ±9.6 Lowest WV: 21% 31.5% ±24.1 Highest WV: 21%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
11.2% Highest WV: 24.1% 5.3% Lowest WV: 24.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
2.7% ±5.1 Highest WV: 5.1% 0% ±3.8 Lowest WV: 5.1%
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$89,400 ±$55k Lowest 45% below WV $207,600 ±$197k Highest 28% above WV
Rentmedian gross, monthly
$850 ±$325 about the WV average —
Property taxmedian, yearly
— $1,108 28% above WV
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
83.9% ±100 Lowest WV: 48.9% 100% ±24 Highest WV: 48.9%
Below poverty line
41.4% Lowest WV: 16.7% 74.1% Highest WV: 16.7%
Homeownersof occupied homes
74.3% Lowest WV: 74.9% 79.2% Highest WV: 74.9%
Typical home builtmedian year
1983 Highest 7 yrs newer than WV 1953 Lowest 23 yrs older than WV
Average commuteone way
54 min 105% above WV —
Work from home
7.1% ±10.2 Highest WV: 9.1% 0% ±54.2 Lowest WV: 9.1%
Work in townworking residents
0% Lowest 0.9% Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
10.3 mi Lowest 24.3 mi Highest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.07 Lowest 0.17 Highest
Top workplaceoutside town
Beckley (17%) Williamson (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Red Jacket Few work in Lester
Conserved landshare of the town
0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles
0.0 mi Lowest 25.1 mi Highest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.0 mi Lowest 4.8 mi Highest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
86.0 Highest 3.1 Lowest
“±” Census margin of error ACS 2020–2024
Deciding? Ask the people who live there The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.
Lester or Red Jacket: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Lester? → Moving to Lester: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Lester’s Town Square.
Red Jacket or Lester: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Red Jacket? → Moving to Red Jacket: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Red Jacket’s Town Square.
Add a town Set another town beside Lester and Red Jacket One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.
Towns like Lester Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.
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