CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.46° N · 80.15° W · GEOID 5464228

Pleasant Valley

Marion County, West Virginia · part of the Fairmont, WV metro

Limited data population under 5,000

West VirginiaPleasant Valley, WVPleasant ValleyPleasant Valley

The short answer

Pleasant Valley is home to 3,482 people. Median household income is $67,635 a year and median rent is $1,096 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 $213,600, about 3.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,096
20% below the median place
Median household income
$67,635
16% below the median place
Median home value
$213,600
33% below the median place
Unemployment
4.8%
2% 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.

What stands out about Pleasant Valley

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 14% a year while household income rose 5.6%, so rent outran pay by more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 31 West Virginia places.
  • Only 18% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 30 West Virginia places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $63 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 91% of places its size. It is the lowest of 31 West Virginia places.
01

Moving to Pleasant Valley

Marion County gains about 3.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,101
Moved out1,947
Net+154

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Taylor County, WV112114−2
Preston County, WV3139−8
Lewis County, WV36

Within West Virginia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within West VirginiaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$48K
Leavers$53K

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

Who moves here
12.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.7% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Marion County report $47,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $53,400, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$43,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,096 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,159 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $213,600.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 12.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Madison Heights, MI matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
12.6%
119% above the median place
Income of households moving in6
$47,855
32% below the median place
Income of households moving out6
$53,445
24% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePleasant ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year112.6%119% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.7%13% below
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure3.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$47,85532% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$53,44524% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 17.5%, 65% below the median place.

Pleasant Valley19.4%
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
$43,840
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.4%
5% below the median place
Home price to income
3.2x
17% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$54,800
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Pleasant Valley, $1,096 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Pleasant Valley, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Lugoff, SC15.8% vs 19.4%n/aCompare
Scotia, NY16.2% vs 19.4%n/aCompare
Nevada, IA15.2% vs 19.4%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Pleasant Valley.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Pleasant Valley? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
17.5%
65% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$989
70% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.5%
49% below the median place
All 14 cost and housing measures
MeasurePleasant ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,09620% below
Rent to income119.4%5% below
Property tax rate10.5%49% below
Home price to income13.2x17% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,07134% below
Property tax paid (median)1$98970% below
Median home value1$213,60033% below
Home prices, 1-year change3County figure0.4%87% below
Home prices, 5-year change3County figure33.8%34% below
Homeownership174.0%11% above
Renters paying 30%+117.5%65% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,15938% below
Vacant homes17.0%0% below
Median year built119710% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Median household income1
$67,635
16% below the median place
Mean commute1
23 min
9% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate9.0% −17%
Income per person$38,240 −5%
Works from home12.7% +2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePleasant ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$67,63516% below
Income per person1$38,2405% below
Unemployment1County figure4.8%2% below
Average annual pay4County figure$56,96014% below
Pay growth, 1 year4County figure5.4%46% above
Jobs4County figure17,37488% below
Poverty rate19.0%17% below
Mean commute123 min9% below
Works from home112.7%2% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 95.4%, 3% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
95.4%
3% above the median place
Population change since 20205
-1.1%
below the median place (median 1.1%)
Household size1
2.3
7% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance7.2% +13%
High school or higher93.2% +1%
Median age39.5 +1%
Bachelor's or higher33.1% +3%
All 9 people measures
MeasurePleasant ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,4826646th largest
Population change since 20205-1.1%below (median 1.1%)
Median age139.51% above
Bachelor's or higher133.1%3% above
High school or higher193.2%1% above
Household size12.37% below
Born abroad1County figure0.8%90% below
No health insurance17.2%12% above
Homes with broadband195.4%3% above
05

Life in Pleasant Valley

24 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents5.7 −44%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.7 −49%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
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.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars19.7 −5%
Shops33.1 +9%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.7 +39%
Doctors' offices and clinics14.8 −27%
Child care centers2.3 +0%

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

Public schools10
1
89% below the median place
Public school students10
179
96% below the median place
Students per teacher10
13.8
10% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasurePleasant ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10189% below
Public school students1017996% below
Students per teacher1013.810% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure19.75% below
Shops per 10k7County figure33.19% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure5.739% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure14.827% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.30% above
Parks per 10k85.744% below
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k85.749% below
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure2485% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 37.8, 58% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Pleasant Valley. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk12
37.8
58% below the median place
Tornado risk12
30.9
62% below the median place
Wildfire risk12
30.2
51% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasurePleasant ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure84°F4% below
January average low11County figure22°F13% below
Average temperature11County figure53°F4% below
Annual precipitation11County figure46.2 in5% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure71.523% below
Hurricane risk12County figure58.817% below
Tornado risk12County figure30.962% below
Wildfire risk12County figure30.251% below
Heat wave risk12County figure37.858% below
08

Pleasant Valley in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 21% of the median income in 2030, up from 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,096/mo (2024)$1,480/mo$1,210 to $1,800/mo+5.1%
Median household income$67,635 (2024)$85,500$72,500 to $101,500+4.0%
Median home value$213,600 (2024)$303,000$220,000 to $417,000+6.0%
Population3,457 (2025)3,4603,320 to 3,610+0.0%

The median home would be worth 3.5 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.2 now.

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

09

Places like Pleasant Valley

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

PlaceRentIncome
Madison Heights, MI$1,176$69,503Compare
Brewer, ME$1,086$66,613Compare
Salem, VA$1,133$66,725Compare
Millbrook, AL$1,111$70,313Compare
Millbrook, ALSalem, VABrewer, MEMadison Heights, MIPleasant Valley, WVPleasant ValleyMadison HeightsBrewerSalemMillbrookPleasant ValleyMadison HeightsBrewerSalemMillbrook

Common questions

Is Pleasant Valley a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 14% a year while household income rose 5.6%, so rent outran pay by more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 31 West Virginia places. Only 18% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 30 West Virginia places. On cost, space and class size it scores 70 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Pleasant Valley 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 $213,600.

What salary do you need to live in Pleasant Valley?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $43,840 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Pleasant Valley?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Madison Heights, MI, Brewer, ME, Salem, VA and Millbrook, AL.

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. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  4. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  5. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  6. 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.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 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
  12. 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 Pleasant Valley with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Pleasant Valley itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/pleasant-valley-west-virginia

Citytistics. “Pleasant Valley, West Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/pleasant-valley-west-virginia/

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