Best Places18840, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 18840, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
18840 ranks 10,314th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on walkability, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 18840
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
18840's strengths and weaknesses
Where 18840 ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Short commute19.1 minutes each way, better than 88% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 85% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 18840 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 69 pleasant days a year, better than only 24% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 18840
A household needs to earn about $49,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 18840 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $70,268, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 18840's effective rate of 1.29%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 18840
18840 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 18840.
Who works in 18840, and how
Work in 18840 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 18840
18840 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 18840 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 18840, month by month
18840 sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 28° | 18° |
| April | 62° | 47° | 34° |
| July | 87° | 72° | 58° |
| October | 67° | 53° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 18840
The nearest airport, Elmira/Corning Regional, is about 22 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 151 miles away.
The best schools in and around 18840
Schools across 18840 average an A−, better than 85% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Snyder El SchA · 70% proficient
- Sru El SchB+ · 55% proficient
- Audrielle Lynch-ellen Bustin El SchB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Harlan Rowe MsB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Athens Area HsA · 73% proficient
- Sayre Area HsB+ · 55% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 18840 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
18840 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 18840 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 18840
Is 18840 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 18840 ranks 10,314th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on walkability, short commutes, and good schools, and lowest on a weak job market and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 18840 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $175,858. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $70,268 median income, cost of living beats 44% of zip codes.
Is 18840 safe?
Yes, 18840 is safer than 64% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $238 per resident a year.
Compare 18840 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 18840. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 18840 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
18840 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 18840: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 18840: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 18840: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 18840: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
18840 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.