Best Places26003, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 26003, 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.
26003 ranks 17,691st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. State infrastructure pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on walkability.
The best neighborhoods in 26003
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.
26003's strengths and weaknesses
Where 26003 ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Short commute21.0 minutes each way, better than 81% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 73% of zip codes
Where 26003 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 72 pleasant days a year, better than only 29% of zip codes
- Household income$64,873 median, better than only 33% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 26003
A household needs to earn about $45,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 26003 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,873, 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 26003's effective rate of 0.59%, 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 26003
26003 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 26003.
Who works in 26003, and how
Work in 26003 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 82%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 26003
26003 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 98% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 26003 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 26003, month by month
26003 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 31° | 23° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 26003
Pittsburgh International sits about 38 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 4.8 million passengers in 2025, with 104 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 26003
Schools across 26003 average a C+, better than 48% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- West Liberty Elementary SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Bethlehem Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Steenrod Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- Buckeye Local Junior HighB+ · 48% proficient
- Triadelphia Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Bridge Street Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Wheeling Park High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- John Marshall High SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Buckeye Local High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 26003 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
26003 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 26003 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 26003 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 8% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 26003
Is 26003 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 26003 ranks 17,691st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on walkability, short commutes, and fast internet, and lowest on state infrastructure and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 26003 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $177,149. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $64,873 median income, cost of living beats 43% of zip codes.
Is 26003 safe?
26003 is safer than 38% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $361 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 26003?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 40 with lows near 23. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 29% of zip codes.
Is 26003 good for families?
Schools beat 48% of zip codes, crime safety beats 38%, and childcare runs $704 a month.
Compare 26003 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 26003. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 26003 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.
26003 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 26003: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 26003: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 26003: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 26003: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
26003 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.