These Are The 10 Gayest Places In West Virginia

When the Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of same-sex marriages, America generally, and the gay community specifically, celebrated. Same-sex marriages, and the gay and lesbian movement is more mainstream than ever.

While the national discussion has been brought to the forefront, at the state level, conversations continue.

Did you know that an estimated 0.27% of West Virginia residents is gay? That ranks 41 in the nation. That means there are a total of 129,000 gay households in The Mountain State.

Our goal with this post is to use data and science to determine the gayest cities in West Virginia.

After analyzing 52 cities with over 1,000 households, we’ve determined these are The Gayest Cities in West Virginia:

1. Ravenswood (Photos | Jobs)
2. Dunbar (Jobs)
3. Clarksburg (Photos | Jobs)
4. Wellsburg (Photos | Jobs)
5. Hurricane (Photos | Jobs)
6. Charleston (Photos | Jobs)
7. Milton (Photos | Jobs)
8. Moundsville (Photos | Jobs)
9. Follansbee (Jobs)
10. Parkersburg (Photos | Jobs)

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.For more West Virginia reading, check out:

• These Are The 10 Richest Cities In West Virginia
• 10 Cheapest Places To Live In West Virginia
• 10 Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia

1. Ravenswood

Households: 1,461
Gay Households: 20
% Gay Households: 1.37%
More on Ravenswood: Comment | Data | Jobs

2. Dunbar

Households: 3,717
Gay Households: 39
% Gay Households: 1.05%
More on Dunbar: Comment | Data | Jobs

Dunbar is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, along the Kanawha River. The population was 7,907 at the 2010 census.

3. Clarksburg

Households: 6,584
Gay Households: 67
% Gay Households: 1.02%
More on Clarksburg: Comment | Data | Jobs

Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. The population of the city was 16,578 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 94,221 in 2014. Clarksburg was named National Small City of the Year in 2011 by the National League of Cities.

4. Wellsburg

Households: 1,345
Gay Households: 12
% Gay Households: 0.89%
More on Wellsburg: Comment | Data | Jobs

5. Hurricane

Households: 2,396
Gay Households: 20
% Gay Households: 0.83%
More on Hurricane: Comment | Data | Jobs

Hurricane is a city in Putnam County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 6,284 at the 2010 census.

6. Charleston

Households: 22,472
Gay Households: 177
% Gay Households: 0.79%
More on Charleston: Comment | Data | Jobs

Charleston is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of West Virginia, and the county seat of Kanawha County. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers. As of the 2013 Census Estimate, it had a population of 50,821, while its metropolitan area had 224,743. It is a center of government, commerce, and industry.

7. Milton

Households: 1,154
Gay Households: 9
% Gay Households: 0.78%
More on Milton: Comment | Data | Jobs

8. Moundsville

Households: 4,003
Gay Households: 25
% Gay Households: 0.62%
More on Moundsville: Comment | Data | Jobs

Moundsville is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia metropolitan area. The population was 9,318 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. The city was named for the nearby ancient Grave Creek Mound, constructed 250 to 100 BC by indigenous people of the Adena culture.

Moundsville was settled in 1771 by English colonists Samuel and James Tomlinson. Fostoria Glass Company was headquartered in Moundsville from 1891 to 1986. The retired West Virginia State Penitentiary operated in Moundsville from 1867 to 1995.

9. Follansbee

Households: 1,297
Gay Households: 7
% Gay Households: 0.54%
More on Follansbee: Comment | Data | Jobs

10. Parkersburg

Households: 13,372
Gay Households: 72
% Gay Households: 0.54%
More on Parkersburg: Comment | Data | Jobs

Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, United States. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state’s third-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metropolitan area. The population was 31,492 at the 2010 census. Its peak of population was more than 44,000 in 1960. The city is about 14 miles south of Marietta, Ohio.

Next 10 Cities

How do you determine the best cities for same-sex households in West Virginia?

In order to rank the gayest cities in West Virginia, we used the 2011-2016 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census. We looked at:

• Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same sex partners

We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.

We ranked each place from 1 to 52 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same sex partners households being the most gay.

In the end, Ravenswood ended up being the the most gay place with 1.37% gay households.

Read on below to learn more about the gayest places in West Virginia. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straighest.

There You Have It — The Most LGBT Friendly Cities in West Virginia

If you’re looking at the number of gay households in West Virginia, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least gay places in West Virginia:

1. Williamstown
2. Hinton
3. Moorefield

For more West Virginia reading, check out:

• 10 Best Places To Live In West Virginia
• 10 Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia
• 10 Cheapest Places To Live In West Virginia

Detailed List Of The Gayest Cities In West Virginia