Bethlehem is #1 in West Virginia for graduation rate
Bethlehem is ranked on 28 lists against the 63 West Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 8 and the top quarter on 9.
Bethlehem is on West Virginia’s podium 5 times
Each list ranks every WV town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Bethlehem marked.
More vacation homes than 98% of West Virginia
Not better or worse, just Bethlehem’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 10 for household income
Lists where Bethlehem sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Bethlehem lands in the top half on 12 of 19 lists
Each dot is Bethlehem’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WV, the right end is last. Areas where Bethlehem does best come first.
Bethlehem out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Bethlehem lands in every WV ranking
36 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
C Healthiest#1 Cheat Lake · 84 / 100 #3 C Lowest obesity#1 Cheat Lake · 30% #7 C Fewest smokers#1 Cheat Lake · 11% #2 C Most active#1 Cheat Lake · 18% #2 C Fewest uninsured#1 Cheat Lake · 5% #1 C Lowest depression#1 Cheat Lake · 26% #5
Closest to a top hospital#1 Madison · 1.3 mi
#33 People
C Most educated#1 Cheat Lake · 61.8% #7
Youngest#1 Morgantown · 23.9
#31
Oldest#1 Summersville · 56.3
#35
Most residents 65+#1 Summersville · 38%
#8
M
Most kids#1 Milton · 32.5%
#4 
Housing
S Vacation-home towns#1 Shannondale · 6.3% #2 R Most new homes#1 Ranson corporation · 47.8 per 1,000 #13
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Fayetteville · +82.8%
#34 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Kenova · 10.8 min
#18 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Welch · 1.0 yrs
#46
Cheapest rent#1 Summersville · $395/mo
#61
Lowest property tax#1 Grafton · $413/yr
#45 Outdoors
S Most conserved land#1 Shannondale · 33.5% #39
Most trails#1 Barboursville · 7.2 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 New Martinsville · 131 / sq mi
#57 Climate
Snowiest#1 Elkins · 69 in
#38
Least snow#1 Kenova · 6.2 in
#24
Mildest winters#1 Williamson · 26.1°
Hottest summers#1 Moorefield · 88.1°
Coolest summers#1 Shady Spring · 78.7°
Longest growing season#1 Williamson · 206 days
#16
Wettest#1 Summersville · 50 in
Safety
Safest#1 Kenova · 8.5
The number on the right is Bethlehem’s spot. All of West Virginia’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every WV list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.