Is Follansbee, WV a Good Place to Live?
Follansbee is a small town of 2,812 in West Virginia, with a median household income of $47,386 and a 4.8% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 89 (US average = 100), which is 11% below the national average.
Strengths: Follansbee stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Follansbee is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Follansbee city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 88.8Follansbee's overall cost of living index is 88.8, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Follansbee costs roughly 11% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Follansbee, WV | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $125,600 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $591 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 66.5% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $47,386 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for Follansbee is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Follansbee is served primarily by Brooke County Schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12.3:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Follansbee, WV | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Brooke County Schools | — |
| Elementary Schools | 4 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 12.3:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 15.4% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 94.6% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Follansbee sees average highs of 36.5°F in January and 82.9°F in July, with 43.2 inches of annual precipitation and 15.2 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Follansbee, WV |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 36.5°F |
| Average High — July | 82.9°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 43.2" |
| Annual Snowfall | 15.2" |
Demographics
| Metric | Follansbee, WV | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,812 | — |
| Median Age | 49.9 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.8% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 18.0 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 98.0% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 15.8% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 17.9% | 16.8% |