Best Places26501, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 26501, 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.
26501 ranks 12,218th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 26501
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.
26501's strengths and weaknesses
Where 26501 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Short commute20.0 minutes each way, better than 85% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 26501 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 71 pleasant days a year, better than only 28% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- Household income$65,324 median, better than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 26501
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 26501 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,324, 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 26501's effective rate of 0.52%, 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 26501
26501's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 26501.
Who works in 26501, and how
Work in 26501 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 26501
26501 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 88% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 96% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 26501 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 26501, month by month
26501 sees roughly 71 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 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 | 68° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 26501
The nearest airport, Morgantown Municipal/Walter L Bill Hart Field, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 61 miles away.
The best schools in and around 26501
Schools across 26501 average a B−, better than 52% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Suncrest Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Brookhaven Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Eastwood Elementary SchoolB− · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Suncrest Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- South Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Westwood Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Morgantown High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- University High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 26501 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
26501 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 26501 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 26501
Is 26501 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 26501 ranks 12,218th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, fast internet, and an educated workforce, 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 26501 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $220,755. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $65,324 median income, cost of living beats 45% of zip codes.
Is 26501 safe?
26501 is safer than 40% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $339 per resident a year.
Compare 26501 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 26501. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 26501 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.
26501 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 26501: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 26501: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 26501: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 26501: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
26501 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.