Living in Wheelwright, Kentucky: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.7% below the U.S. average in the parts of Kentucky outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Wheelwright to say.
A safer neighborhood0 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 0 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Shelby Valley High School, about 10 miles away.
A hospital close byMcDowell Arh Hospital in Mc Dowell, about 6 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityKnoxville is about 117 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Wheelwright meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 110% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then: Up 19%Floyd County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $593 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes built since 2010: 0%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 85.3U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Kentucky outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 19% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Kentucky outside metro areas, not Wheelwright alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,0482020: 498
Median age: 38.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 10%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 16%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 9%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 21%U.S.: 6%
College students: 5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Work from home: 0%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: McDowell Arh Hospital, Mc Dowell, KY, about 6 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Pikeville Medical Center, Pikeville, KY, about 14 miles away. Medicare gives it 1 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

There are no public schools inside Wheelwright itself. The nearest public high school is Shelby Valley High School, about 10 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Kentucky's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Weather

January average low: 24°F
July average high: 82°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 2 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 113 a year
Rain and melted snow: 47.3 inches a year
Snow: 1 inches a year
Elevation: 1,236 feet

Weather stations: Whitesburg 2SE (17 miles away) and Pikeville Ksp Post 9 (15 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

McDowell Arh HospitalEmergency room6

Kingsport, TNCity of 58,00057

Knoxville, TNMetro of 1 million117

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: McDowell Arh Hospital, Kingsport, Knoxville.

Floyd County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 7, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Wheelwright Commercial District.

Read about Wheelwright's history on Wikipedia.

Know Wheelwright?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Jenkins, KY1,700 people, 12 miles
Pikeville, KY7,300 people, 14 miles
Coal Run Village, KY1,600 people, 16 miles
Whitesburg, KY1,600 people, 16 miles
Clintwood, VA1,300 people, 19 miles
Prestonsburg, KY3,600 people, 24 miles

Smaller places

Virgie, KY (unincorporated)424 people, 7 miles
McDowell, KY (unincorporated)718 people, 8 miles
Pippa Passes, KY583 people, 9 miles
McRoberts, KY (unincorporated)556 people, 9 miles
Wayland, KY359 people, 9 miles
Fleming-Neon, KY537 people, 10 miles
Millstone, KY (unincorporated)317 people, 12 miles
Payne Gap, KY (unincorporated)440 people, 13 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.