Best PlacesBerkeley County, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Berkeley County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Berkeley County ranks 780th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $83,818, everyday costs sit below the national average, and a strong job market ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are state infrastructure, long commutes, and noise.
The best neighborhoods in Berkeley County
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.
The best areas in Berkeley County
The parts of Berkeley County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Hedgesville
It is quieter, tree cover is thicker, and incomes run higher.
Inwood & Bunker Hill
Local pay stretches further.
Falling Waters
Crime runs lower.
Martinsburg
Streets are more walkable and commutes are shorter.
Scores across Berkeley County run from about the 15th to the 84th percentile nationally. The map is where that becomes a choice of area.
Berkeley County's strengths and weaknesses
Berkeley County ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. Low crime is the standout, in the top 3% of counties. Few empty homes and big-city access follow.
The one real hole is state infrastructure, near the bottom of the country. Long commutes and noise also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where Berkeley County ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 97% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than 96% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than 94% of counties
- Local economyBetter than 93% of counties
- Internet speedBetter than 90% of counties
Where Berkeley County ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of counties
- Short commute30.7 minutes each way, better than only 13% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 17% of counties
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 22% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 72 pleasant days a year, better than only 23% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Berkeley County
A household needs to earn about $68,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Berkeley County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $83,818, 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 Berkeley County's effective rate of 0.53%, 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 Berkeley County
Berkeley County'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 Berkeley County.
Who works in Berkeley County, and how
Work in Berkeley County centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Berkeley County
Berkeley County has more restaurants and bars per resident than 89% of counties and less parkland per resident than most counties. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Berkeley County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Berkeley County growing, and who is moving in?
Berkeley County has grown about 24% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Washington, DC.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Berkeley County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Berkeley County, month by month
Berkeley County sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 69° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 90° | 76° | 64° |
| October | 71° | 57° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Berkeley County
The nearest airport, Hagerstown Regional/Richard A Henson Field, is about 22 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 45 miles away.
The best schools in and around Berkeley County
Schools across Berkeley County average a C, better than 31% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Shepherdstown Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Rosemont Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Burke Street Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Shepherdstown Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Clear Spring MiddleC · 31% proficient
- Hedgesville Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Clear Spring HighB+ · 58% proficient
- Williamsport HighB · 48% proficient
- Spring Mills High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Berkeley County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Berkeley County 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 Berkeley County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Berkeley County suits
Families
Schools land around the 31st percentile and crime safety beats 97%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Berkeley County
Is Berkeley County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Berkeley County ranks 780th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on low crime, few empty homes, and big-city access, and lowest on state infrastructure and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Berkeley County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $271,477. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $83,818 median income, cost of living beats 79% of counties.
Is Berkeley County safe?
Yes, Berkeley County is safer than 97% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $198 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Berkeley County?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 24. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 23% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Berkeley County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Hedgesville, Inwood & Bunker Hill, and Falling Waters. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Berkeley County good for families?
Schools beat 31% of counties, crime safety beats 97%, and childcare runs $838 a month.
Is Berkeley County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 90% of counties. About 11% of workers already work from home.
Compare Berkeley County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Berkeley County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Berkeley County 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.
Berkeley County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Berkeley County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Berkeley County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Berkeley County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Berkeley County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Berkeley County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.