Best Places25438, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 25438, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
25438 ranks 15,452nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 25438
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.
25438's strengths and weaknesses
Where 25438 ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 85% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 25438 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Short commute31.6 minutes each way, better than only 21% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 25438
A household needs to earn about $62,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 25438 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,170, 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 25438's effective rate of 0.54%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 25438
25438's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 25438.
Who works in 25438, and how
Work in 25438 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 25438
25438 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 86% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 25438 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 25438, month by month
25438 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 69° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 90° | 76° | 64° |
| October | 71° | 57° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 25438
The nearest airport, Hagerstown Regional/Richard A Henson Field, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 33 miles away.
The best schools in and around 25438
Schools across 25438 average a C, better than 34% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wright Denny Intermediate SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Driswood Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- T A Lowery Elementary SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top middle schools
- Charles Town Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Wildwood Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Jefferson High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Washington High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 25438 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
25438 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 25438 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 25438
Is 25438 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 25438 ranks 15,452nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cell coverage, fast internet, and big-city access, and lowest on state infrastructure and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 25438 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $245,343. The overall cost of living runs about 5% above the national average. Set against a $81,170 median income, cost of living beats 37% of zip codes.
Is 25438 safe?
Yes, 25438 is safer than 70% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $234 per resident a year.
Compare 25438 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 25438. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 25438 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.
25438 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 25438: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 25438: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 25438: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 25438: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
25438 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.