CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

37.97° N · 81.16° W · GEOID 5460028

Oak Hill

Fayette County, West Virginia · part of the Beckley, WV metro

West VirginiaOak Hill, WVOak HillOak Hill

The short answer

Oak Hill is home to 7,937 people. Median household income is $52,466 a year and median rent is $847 a month, 19.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $118,700, about 2.3x annual median household income.

Oak Hill is defined by its growth. Population growth since 2020 is -6.5%, against 3.3% in its closest peers. Also notable: 4% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 94% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 28 West Virginia places we track.

56OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Oak Hill scores better than 56% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 14th of 31 in West Virginia.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%77
Economy 20%36
Safety 20%77
Amenities 15%60
Education 10%10
Commute 10%27
Growth 5%23
Median gross rent
$847
38% below the median place
Median household income
$52,466
35% below the median place
Median home value
$118,700
63% below the median place
Unemployment
4.6%
7% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

01

Moving to Oak Hill

Fayette County gains about 0.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,301
Moved out1,292
Net+9

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Nicholas County, WV9589+6
Greenbrier County, WV4940+9

Within West Virginia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within West VirginiaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$40K
Leavers$42K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Fayette County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.6% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Fayette County report $39,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $42,500, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$33,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $847 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,122 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $118,700.
Getting to work
29 minutes each way on average; 4.5% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Carlisle, OH matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.4%
24% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$39,657
44% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$42,459
40% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureOak HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.4%24% below
Moved from another state1County figure0.6%68% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.3above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$39,65744% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$42,45940% below
02

What it costs to live here

After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $44,200 a year, less than in 85% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track.

Oak Hill19.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$33,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.4%
5% below the median place
Home price to income
2.3x
41% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
20%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$43,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Oak Hill, $847 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Oak Hill, but easier on the budget

Places that match Oak Hill on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Carlisle, OH9816.2% vs 19.4%$17,400Compare
Garrett, IN9716.0% vs 19.4%n/aCompare
Wapakoneta, OH9714.8% vs 19.4%n/aCompare
Wauseon, OH9615.3% vs 19.4%$12,500Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Oak Hill.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Oak Hill? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax paid (median)1
$733
78% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,122
40% below the median place
Median home value1
$118,700
63% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureOak HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$84738% below
Rent to income119.4%5% below
Property tax rate10.6%32% below
Home price to income12.3x41% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure88.412% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$96140% below
Property tax paid (median)1$73378% below
Median home value1$118,70063% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure10.4%225% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure75.2%46% above
Homeownership173.7%11% above
Renters paying 30%+156.8%12% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,12240% below
Vacant homes112.5%76% above
Median year built119740% below
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 210 hours a year commuting, more than in 87% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 28 West Virginia places we track.

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Works from home1
4.5%
64% below the median place
Poverty rate1
21.7%
101% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$52,466 −35%
Income per person$28,478 −29%
Mean commute29 min +16%
Unemployment4.6% −7%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureOak HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$52,46635% below
Income per person1$28,47829% below
Unemployment14.6%7% below
Average annual pay5County figure$48,37927% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure1.6%57% below
Jobs5County figure10,39893% below
Poverty rate121.7%101% above
Mean commute129 min16% above
Works from home14.5%64% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Population change since 2020 is -6.5%, below the median place (median 1.1%).

Population change since 20206
-6.5%
below the median place (median 1.1%)
Bachelor's or higher1
15.6%
51% below the median place
High school or higher1
84.7%
8% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband88.0% −5%
No health insurance9.6% +50%
Household size2.3 −6%
Median age41.4 +6%
All 9 people measures
MeasureOak HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population17,9374971st largest
Population change since 20206-6.5%below (median 1.1%)
Median age141.46% above
Bachelor's or higher115.6%51% below
High school or higher184.7%8% below
Household size12.36% below
Born abroad1County figure0.3%97% below
No health insurance19.6%50% above
Homes with broadband188.0%5% below
05

Life in Oak Hill

About 10 km of named paths and bike trails are mapped in and around the city, more than in 92% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.

Founded or incorporated in 1820. 2 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Oak Hill Railroad Depot listed 1995
  • Oak Hill High School listed 2020

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents15.1 +49%
Playgrounds per 10k5.0 −46%
Grocery stores per 10k3.8 +78%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k6.3 −43%
Libraries per 10k2.5 2.9×
Named paths and bike trails10 km 5.0×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • New River Gorge National Park and Preserve 5 miles
  • Gauley River National Recreation Area 22 miles
  • Bluestone National Scenic River 32 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.9 −24%
Shops27.6 −9%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.8 +17%
Doctors' offices and clinics16.7 −17%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
5.3
83% below the median place
Public schools13
5
44% below the median place
Public school students13
2,812
43% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureOak HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13544% below
Public school students132,81243% below
Students per teacher1315.03% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure15.924% below
Shops per 10k8County figure27.69% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.817% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure16.717% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.822% below
Parks per 10k915.149% above
Playgrounds per 10k95.046% below
Grocery stores per 10k93.878% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k96.343% below
Libraries per 10k92.5190% above
Named paths and bike trails910.1above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site105.383% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10350% above
National Register listings11285% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 88, 54% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
88
54% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Heat wave risk15
11.5
87% below the median place
Tornado risk15
10.7
87% below the median place
Natural hazard risk15
53.4
42% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureOak HillAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure82°F6% below
January average low14County figure23°F8% below
Average temperature14County figure53°F4% below
Annual precipitation14County figure47.8 in9% above
Natural hazard risk15County figure53.442% below
Hurricane risk15County figure42.041% below
Tornado risk15County figure10.787% below
Wildfire risk15County figure49.519% below
Heat wave risk15County figure11.587% below
08

Oak Hill in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 20% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 19% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Oak Hill does better than 76% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 2%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$847/mo (2024)$1,100/mo$900 to $1,340/mo+4.5%
Median household income$52,466 (2024)$67,000$56,500 to $79,000+4.1%
Median home value$118,700 (2024)$162,000$117,000 to $223,000+5.3%
Population7,629 (2025)7,4307,120 to 7,740−0.5%

The median home would be worth 2.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.3 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Oak Hill

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Struthers, OH$850$53,447Compare
Merrill, WI$771$53,148Compare
Van Wert, OH$765$55,113Compare
Connersville, IN$787$48,854Compare
Connersville, INVan Wert, OHMerrill, WIStruthers, OHOak Hill, WVOak HillStruthersMerrillVan WertOak HillStruthersMerrillVan Wert

Places built like Oak Hill

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Oak Hill performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Oak Hill, WV19.4%6.0%/yr-6.5%
Madison Heights, VA17.4%5.4%/yrn/aCompare
Big Stone Gap, VA17.5%3.0%/yr-3.3%Compare
Newton, NC21.1%6.1%/yr5.3%Compare
Halfway, MD21.4%1.5%/yrn/aCompare
St. Stephens, NC19.0%4.6%/yrn/aCompare
Richlands, VA26.0%4.0%/yr-4.4%Compare

Common questions

Is Oak Hill a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 56 out of 100, better than 56% of the places we rate and 14th of 31 in West Virginia. On cost, space and class size it scores 57 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Oak Hill expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $118,700.

What salary do you need to live in Oak Hill?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $33,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Oak Hill safe?

There were 88 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Oak Hill?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Struthers, OH, Merrill, WI, Van Wert, OH and Connersville, IN.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Oak Hill with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Oak Hill itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/oak-hill-west-virginia

Citytistics. “Oak Hill, West Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/oak-hill-west-virginia/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.