Best Places26257, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 26257, 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.
26257 ranks 22,064th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 26257
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.
26257's strengths and weaknesses
Where 26257 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 26257 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 26257
A household needs to earn about $29,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 26257 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $53,885, 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 26257's effective rate of 0.29%, 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 26257
26257'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 26257.
Who works in 26257, and how
Work in 26257 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 26257
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 26257.
What the weather is like in 26257, month by month
26257 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 26257
The nearest airport, North Central West Virginia, is about 30 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 110 miles away.
The best schools in and around 26257
Schools across 26257 average a C−, better than 22% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Junior ElementaryB− · 41% proficient
- Coalton Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Belington Middle SchoolC · 31% proficient
- 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 26257 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
26257 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 26257 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 26257
Is 26257 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 26257 ranks 22,064th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, low property taxes, and low disaster risk, and lowest on state infrastructure and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 26257 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $121,314. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $53,885 median income, cost of living beats 14% of zip codes.
Is 26257 safe?
Yes, 26257 is safer than 72% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $223 per resident a year.
Compare 26257 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 26257. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 26257 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.
26257 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 26257: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 26257: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 26257: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 26257: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
26257 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.