Best Places26321, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 26321, 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.
26321 ranks 13,226th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 26321
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.
26321's strengths and weaknesses
Where 26321 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 26321 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Short commute41.2 minutes each way, better than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 26321
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 26321 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $102,623, 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 26321's effective rate of 0.43%, 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 26321
26321'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 26321.
Who works in 26321, and how
Work in 26321 centers on education and mining & oil & gas. 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 26321
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 26321.
What the weather is like in 26321, month by month
26321 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 33° | 26° |
| April | 67° | 54° | 44° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 26321
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 103 miles away.
The best schools in and around 26321
Schools across 26321 average a D, better than 10% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Doddridge County Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Leading Creek ElementaryD+ · 22% proficient
Top middle schools
- Doddridge County Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Robert L. Bland Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Doddridge County High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Lewis County High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 26321 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
26321 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 26321 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 26321
Is 26321 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 26321 ranks 13,226th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, tree cover, and quiet, and lowest on cell coverage and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 26321 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $166,999. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $102,623 median income, cost of living beats 93% of zip codes.
Is 26321 safe?
Yes, 26321 is safer than 86% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $183 per resident a year.
Compare 26321 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 26321. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 26321 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.
26321 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 26321: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 26321: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 26321: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 26321: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
26321 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.