Living in Bluefield, WV
Bluefield is a big small town of 9,387 people in Mercer County, West Virginia. It's about 35 miles from Beckley, WV and 143 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 41°F, with about 39 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $105k and rent runs about $804 a month.
9,387people
$105kTypical home
$804/moRent
82° / 41°Summer / winter
39"Snow
210Sunny days
162Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 9,387
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 1,046 people per sq mi
- 143 mi to Charlotte, NC
- 35 mi to Beckley, WV
- 35 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $105k (≈$665/mo)
- Median rent $804/mo
- Median household income $49k
- Property tax about 0.6% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 82°F
- Winter highs around 41°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
- 210 sunny days a year (66 totally clear)
- 155 cloudy days a year
- 54 of 90 winter days are gray
- 162 days a year with rain or snow
- 39" of snow a year
- 16 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 11 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- About average violent crime (343 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (760 per 100k)
People
- Median age 45
- 25% of households have kids
- 22% are 65 or older
- 30% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 5% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 37 mi to BKW airport
- 107 mi to GSO (major hub)
- 33 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 79% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1953
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 2,566 ft
- 216 mi to the ocean
- 79 mi to a big lake
- 13 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 23 mi to the nearest ski area
- 9 mi to the nearest campground
- 8 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 79 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 4 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 5 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 23 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 44% of West Virginia districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 11 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 26 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 38 mi to the nearest dog park
- 11 congregations per 10k people
- 2 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Mercer County: R+57 in 2024
- West Virginia: R+42 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- High flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk