Population
105 residents
Census ACS 2023 - West Virginia
City profile · West Virginia · Census ACS 2023
Spelter, WV
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Spelter - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 105
- Residents
- $955
- Median rent (state)
Spelter - the verdict
Spelter has 105 residents in West Virginia. Source: Census ACS.
- 11th
- 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: Spelter, WV
105 people live in Spelter, West Virginia - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 53.0 years. Educational attainment runs 0.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 64.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Living costs in West Virginia run below the national norm: the state registers 89.5 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $955 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in West Virginia run around $220, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Commute times here average 13.5 minutes, with 100.0% driving alone and 0.0% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 73.6 out of 100 (High).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
89.5 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, West Virginia average
How does Spelter compare to other US cities?
Where Spelter sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 11% 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
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Spelter's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in West Virginia, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Spelter in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 0.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 64.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
105
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
53.0
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
64.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
0.0%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
13.5 minutes
Drive Alone
100.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 68 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 Spelter sits in
Cost of Living Index
89.5
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$955/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
73.6 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in West Virginia
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Spelter's 105 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 Spelter 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Spelter (this city) | 105 | N/A |
| Hollygrove | 104 | $50,667 |
| Jacksonburg | 106 | N/A |
| Century | 107 | $36,136 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS WV OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Spelter, WV?
What is the population of Spelter, WV? +
Spelter, WV counts 105 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Spelter? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Spelter; 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 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 PlainCities EditorialEvery 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.