Population
232 residents
Census ACS 2023 - West Virginia
City profile · West Virginia · Census ACS 2023
Oakvale, WV
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Oakvale - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 232
- Residents
- $896
- Median rent (state)
Oakvale - the verdict
232 people call Oakvale, West Virginia home. Source: Census ACS.
- 4th
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Oakvale, WV
232 people live in Oakvale, West Virginia - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 11.8 years. Educational attainment runs 21.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 62.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 0 residential units authorized here in 2024 (No Permits).
Living costs in West Virginia run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, West Virginia scores 89.5 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $896 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $220 across West Virginia, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 65.2 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 2.1%
Cost of Living Index (state)
89.5 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, West Virginia average
How does Oakvale compare to other US cities?
Here's how Oakvale stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 4% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Oakvale against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to West Virginia only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
West Virginia-relative analysis
Poverty Rate places Oakvale toward the bottom of West Virginia's cities
Among the 389 West Virginia cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Oakvale ranks #299 - the 23rd percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Oakvale only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Gross Rent
#243 of 390
35th percentile in West Virginia
Poverty Rate
#299 of 389
23rd percentile in West Virginia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#116 of 390
70th percentile in West Virginia
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within West Virginia only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Oakvale in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 21.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 2.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 62.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
232
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
11.8
Poverty Rate
2.1%
Labor force participation
62.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
21.7%
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
88.7%
Carpool
8.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
3.2%
Based on 62 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for West Virginia - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$110
avg/month
Natural Gas
$72
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$38
avg/month
Total Utilities
$220
estimated/month
Estimates reflect West Virginia state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a West Virginia state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Oakvale sits in
Cost of Living Index
89.5
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$896/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
65.2 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in West Virginia
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Oakvale's 232 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Oakvale compares to nearby West Virginia cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Oakvale (this city) | 232 | N/A |
| Womelsdorf (Coalton) | 233 | $56,771 |
| Garten | 234 | N/A |
| Justice | 235 | $42,596 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS WV Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Oakvale, WV?
What is the population of Oakvale, WV? +
The population of Oakvale, WV stands at 232 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Oakvale? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Oakvale; the closest available measure is the West Virginia state average, a cost of living index of 89.5 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within West Virginia vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.