Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety53#7,302/15,637
Economy1#15,409/15,631
Housing94#873/14,977
Health2#15,315/15,609
Healthcare14#13,507/15,650
Environment41#9,150/15,453
Education7#14,624/15,649
Infrastructure22#12,164/15,650
Community14#13,479/15,651
Leisure & amenities29#11,055/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Weston, West Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lewis County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Time spent in the emergency room · low98 min
97/100West Virginia 145 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLewis County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.0×
92/100West Virginia 2.7×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high7.3 /10k
90/100West Virginia 5.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLewis County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.48%
89/100West Virginia 0.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Property crime rate · low563 /100k
86/100West Virginia 1,053 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationLewis County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100West Virginia 1United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value

Weaknesses

Depression · high33.8%
0/100West Virginia 31.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · high24.9%
1/100West Virginia 23.4%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Reading scores · low2.38
1/100West Virginia 2.92United States 3.052018University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value
Hospital quality rating · low1.0
1/100West Virginia 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLewis County value
Math scores · low2.37
2/100West Virginia 2.72United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLewis County value
Unemployment rate · high16.2%
2/100West Virginia 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateWorsening
30.5% (2015-2019) → 44.2% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.7% (2015-2019) → 89.0% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$34,185 (2015-2019) → $52,070 (2020-2024)
+52%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
42.1% (2015-2019) → 32.5% (2020-2024)
−9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
28.4% (2015-2019) → 20.7% (2020-2024)
−7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Unemployment rateWorsening
10.2% (2015-2019) → 16.2% (2020-2024)
+6 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Weston, West Virginia improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Rent / income−7.7 points28.4% → 20.7%
Household income+52%$34,185 → $52,070
Broadband+12 points76.7% → 89.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Weston, West Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.3 min2015-2019	20.0 min2020-2024	−3.3 min	Within the margin of error	81%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.0%2015-2019	13.6%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Broadband subscriptions	76.7%2015-2019	89.0%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	70%
Child poverty rate	30.5%2015-2019	44.2%2020-2024	+14 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Effective property tax rate	0.56%2015-2019	0.48%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
High school diploma or higher	86.2%2015-2019	86.7%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.0×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	88%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4612015-2019	0.4592020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	52%
Median household income	$34,1852015-2019	$52,0702020-2024	+52%	Improved	86%
Poverty rate	22.0%2015-2019	23.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.4%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	−7.7 points	Improved	90%
Rent-burdened households	42.1%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	−9.5 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Unemployment rate	10.2%2015-2019	16.2%2020-2024	+6 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.3%2015-2019	11.6%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	13%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Weston, West Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Weston, West Virginia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Weston, West Virginia itself moved +9.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,840 residents (±26)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 women (−5.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,840 residents (±26)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

White88%3,365
Black4.7%†182
Hispanic or Latino1.3%†51
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races6.3%†242

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−9.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,694 residents (±171)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

No high school diploma13%†357
High school or GED46%1,239
Some college21%578
Associate degree5.7%†154
Bachelor's degree7.7%†207
Graduate degree5.9%†159

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,621 households (±176)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under $25k23%†371
$25k–50k21%†336
$50k–75k26%†425
$75k–100k9.4%†153
$100k–150k11%†175
$150k–200k7.9%†128
$200k or more2.0%†33

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−15.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,621 households (±176)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Own53%856
Rent47%765

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

636 households (±171)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under $75042%†268
$750–1,00036%†231
$1,000–1,50014%†

Home values

856 homes (±134)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under $150k69%594
$150k–250k25%†218
$250k–400k5.1%†44

Age of homes

2,103 homes (±179)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

2010 or later2.2%†47
2000–20095.9%†125
1980–19998.6%†180

Size of homes

2,103 homes (±179)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Studio6.0%†126
1 bedroom17%†364
2 bedrooms29%618

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,420 workers (±169)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Drive alone81%1,145
Carpool6.6%†94
Public transit0.0%0
Walk7.7%†109
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.1%†15
Other4.0%†57

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,405 workers (±168)

Weston, West Virginia
West Virginia share

Under 15 min47%†657
15–29 min31%†433
30–44 min16%†224

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lewis County, the county holding most of Weston's residents.

Lewis County has 363 employer establishments, 219 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248; 1.08× West Virginia's), with 4,622 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,268. The Census Bureau also counts 862 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 363; 862 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 219; US 248 · West Virginia 202
Paid employees: 4,622
Average annual pay: $48,268; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lewis County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	31	18.7	0.90×About typical	230	$63,087	20
Restaurants and other eating places	29	17.5	0.95×About typical	336	$17,649	7
Specialty trade contractors	25	15.1	0.97×About typical	301	$63,259	65
Limited-service restaurants	16	9.6	1.20×About typical	241	$16,598	—
Religious organizations	16	9.6	1.74×More than typical	61	$14,820	—
Gasoline stations	15	9	2.79×More than typical	130	$26,015	—
Offices of other health practitioners	15	9	1.49×More than typical	85	$50,341	10
Automotive repair and maintenance	10	6	1.20×About typical	41	$37,878	31
Full-service restaurants	10	6	0.78×Fewer than typical	86	$20,628	5
Other specialty trade contractors	10	6	2.40×More than typical	219	$67,562	23
Truck transportation	10	6	1.19×About typical	129	$63,667	25
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	9	5.4	1.72×Too few to compare	61	$55,279	19

Rank places for an industry Open Lewis County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,607 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $5,268 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Weston, West Virginia: $1.37 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $5,268; −67% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.37; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Bureau of Investigation$3,04558%
Department of the Army$1,52829%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$69513%

Top recipients

QUALITY WATER SERVICES LLC$3,04558%
PATRIOT PROPERTY SERVICES LLC$1,05020%
INTEGRATED MEDICAL SOLUTIONS, LLC$69513%
NATIVE INSTINCT LLC$4789.1%

Spending by fiscal year

2.1KFY2017
6.7KFY2018
7.1KFY2019
10.9KFY2020
2.1KFY2021
3.3KFY2022
3.6KFY2023
3.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$3,04558%
Facilities support services · 5612$1,05020%
General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$69513%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$4789.1%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Weston, West Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Weston, West Virginia's figures are part of those of Lewis County, WV ($344.2K in FY2026), never added to them: 1.5% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Weston is mostly in Lewis County.

See federal money in Lewis County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Weston, West Virginia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Riley M. MooreR-WV-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lewis County21100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lewis County

Largest first.

Jane Lew480

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5485972

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends