Best Places26327, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 26327, 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.
26327 ranks 29,937th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 26327
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.
26327's strengths and weaknesses
Where 26327 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 26327 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 26327
A household needs to earn about $29,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 26327 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $36,738, 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 26327's effective rate of 0.58%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 26327
26327 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 26327.
Who works in 26327, and how
Work in 26327 centers on retail trade and arts & entertainment. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 26327
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 26327.
What the weather is like in 26327, month by month
26327 sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 69° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 88° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 71° | 57° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 26327
The nearest airport, Mid-Ohio Valley Regional, is about 31 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 101 miles away.
The best schools in and around 26327
Schools across 26327 average a C+, better than 53% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Smithville ElementaryA+ · 90% proficient
- Creed Collins ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ritchie County MiddleD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Ritchie County High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 26327 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
26327 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 26327 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 26327
Is 26327 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 26327 ranks 29,937th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, a stable housing market, and tree cover, and lowest on biking and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 26327 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $113,858. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $36,738 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 26327 safe?
Yes, 26327 is safer than 59% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $257 per resident a year.
Compare 26327 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 26327. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 26327 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.
26327 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 26327: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 26327: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 26327: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 26327: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
26327 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.