Best Places26421, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 26421, 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.
26421 ranks 25,869th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 26421
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.
26421's strengths and weaknesses
Where 26421 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 26421 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 26421
A household needs to earn about $38,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 26421 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $60,457, 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 26421'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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 26421
26421 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 26421.
Who works in 26421, and how
Work in 26421 centers on public administration and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 26421
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 26421.
What the weather is like in 26421, month by month
26421 sees roughly 69 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 26421
The nearest airport, Mid-Ohio Valley Regional, is about 29 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 98 miles away.
The best schools in and around 26421
Schools across 26421 average a C, better than 29% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- 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 26421 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
26421 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 26421 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 26421
Is 26421 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 26421 ranks 25,869th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, a stable housing market, and tree cover, and lowest on cell coverage and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 26421 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $151,130. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $60,457 median income, cost of living beats 41% of zip codes.
Is 26421 safe?
Yes, 26421 is safer than 59% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $258 per resident a year.
Compare 26421 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 26421. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 26421 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.
26421 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 26421: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 26421: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 26421: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 26421: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
26421 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.