Best Places26241, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 26241, 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.
26241 ranks 18,795th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 26241
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.
26241's strengths and weaknesses
Where 26241 ranks high
- Short commute15.6 minutes each way, better than 96% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 26241 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$55,011 median, better than only 17% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 26241
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 26241 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $55,011, 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 26241's effective rate of 0.45%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 26241
26241 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 26241.
Who works in 26241, and how
Work in 26241 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 84%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 26241
26241 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 80% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 79% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 26241 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 26241, month by month
26241 sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 31° | 20° |
| April | 68° | 52° | 38° |
| July | 85° | 72° | 60° |
| October | 70° | 54° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 26241
The nearest airport, North Central West Virginia, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 110 miles away.
The best schools in and around 26241
Schools across 26241 average a C, better than 30% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Midland Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Junior ElementaryB− · 41% proficient
- Jennings Randolph Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Elkins Middle SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- Elkins High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 26241 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
26241 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 26241 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 26241
Is 26241 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 26241 ranks 18,795th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, low disaster risk, 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 26241 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $155,518. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $55,011 median income, cost of living beats 21% of zip codes.
Is 26241 safe?
26241 is safer than 49% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $312 per resident a year.
Compare 26241 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 26241. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 26241 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.
26241 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 26241: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 26241: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 26241: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 26241: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
26241 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.