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Compare towns

Matewan vs Red Jacket

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (11.2× in Matewan) and property tax bill (2.3× in Red Jacket).

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Matewan, WVKnown for its schoolsWest Virginia · 505 people
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Red Jacket, WVA small town of 482West Virginia · 482 people
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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.

MatewanKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 29%of WV districts All about Matewan →
Red JacketA small town of 482
Quiet strengthsRed Jacket doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors 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.

Street grid11.2×
Matewan has the more walkable street grid
Matewan 34.6Red Jacket 3.1
Property tax bill2.3×
Tax bills are bigger in Red Jacket
Red Jacket $1,108Matewan $482
Jobs per worker3.6×
Matewan is more of a job hub
Matewan 0.61Red Jacket 0.17
Homeowners+29.6 pts renters
Matewan has more renters
Red Jacket 79.2%Matewan 49.6%
Typical home built31 yrs
Red Jacket’s homes are older
Matewan 1984Red Jacket 1953
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $550 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.

Matewan$630/mo
Typical home $112K (Census) · tax rate 0.43% · or rent about $355/mo · Housing →
Red Jacket$1,180/mo
Typical home $208K (Census) · tax rate 0.53% · Housing →

The difference: $550 a month, about $6,600 a year, between Red Jacket and Matewan.

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.

Where they are

Matewan and Red Jacket share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MatewanRed JacketMatewanRed Jacket
Matewan ↔ Red Jacket2.4 miles apart · They share a border
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every West Virginia ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
CMatewanBetter than 29% of districts in the state –Red JacketNot graded
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

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.

Seasons
MatewanRed Jacket
Snow a year13″13″
January low26°F26°F
July high89°F89°F
Growing season (days)206d206d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)95th95th
Outdoors & history
MatewanRed Jacket
Trails—25 mi
Conserved land—0%
National Register places1—
Archive photos5—
Famous people born here3—
Community
MatewanRed Jacket
Library hours a week38 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

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.

MatewanRed Jacket
People
Population 505Highest 482Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -9.6%
Median age 50.6±12.6Lowest 19% above WV 55.4±25.9Highest 30% above WV
Red Jacket and Matewan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.7%±9.1Lowest WV: 20% 18%±15.6Highest WV: 20%
Red Jacket and Matewan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 30.9%±11.1Lowest WV: 21% 31.5%±24.1Highest WV: 21%
Red Jacket and Matewan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 3.6%Lowest WV: 24.1% 5.3%Highest WV: 24.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±1.7Highest WV: 5.1% 0%±3.8Lowest WV: 5.1%
Matewan and Red Jacket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $16,105±$5k 73% below WV —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $112,100±$51kLowest 31% below WV $207,600±$197kHighest 28% above WV
Red Jacket and Matewan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $355±$84 59% below WV —
Property taxmedian, yearly $482Lowest 44% below WV $1,108Highest 28% above WV
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48.7%±18.3Lowest WV: 48.9% 100%±24Highest WV: 48.9%
Below poverty line 41.4%Lowest WV: 16.7% 74.1%Highest WV: 16.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 49.6%Lowest WV: 74.9% 79.2%Highest WV: 74.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Highest 8 yrs newer than WV 1953Lowest 23 yrs older than WV
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 min 30% below WV —
Work from home 0%±15.3 WV: 9.1% 0%±54.2 WV: 9.1%
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 0.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 29.8 miHighest 24.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.61Highest 0.17Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Williamson (9%)Williamson (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Red JacketFew work in Matewan
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 25.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 4.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 34.6Highest 3.1Lowest
Schools
School district Mingo County Schools—
High school in town None in town—
West Virginia average“±” Census margin of errorACS 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.

Matewan neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Matewan’s Town Square.

Red Jacket neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Red Jacket’s Town Square.

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Bordering Matewan

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McCarr, KY265 people

Towns like Matewan

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West Hamlin567 people · $130K homes
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New Cumberland943 people · $93K homes
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Anmoore522 people · $90K homes
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Fort Gay437 people · $62K homes

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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