Best PlacesWest Alexander, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Alexander, 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.
West Alexander ranks 24,942nd of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West Alexander
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.
West Alexander's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Alexander ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 96% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than 87% of towns
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 86% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than 85% of towns
- Big-city accessBetter than 74% of towns
Where West Alexander ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 6% of towns
- Short commute35.1 minutes each way, better than only 14% of towns
- QuietBetter than only 17% of towns
- State infrastructureBetter than only 19% of towns
- Cheap childcare$1,005 a month, better than only 24% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in West Alexander
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Alexander home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $80,250, 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 West Alexander's effective rate of 0.81%, 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 West Alexander
West Alexander runs older than the country, 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 West Alexander.
Who works in West Alexander, and how
Work in West Alexander centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in West Alexander
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across West Alexander.
What the weather is like in West Alexander, month by month
West Alexander sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 31° | 23° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 46° |
Flying in and out of West Alexander
Pittsburgh International sits about 30 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 4.8 million passengers in 2025, with 104 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around West Alexander
Schools across West Alexander average a B−, better than 56% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- West Liberty Elementary SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Claysville El SchA− · 58% proficient
- Avella El CenterB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bridge Street Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Mcguffey MsC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Avella Area JshsB+ · 57% proficient
- Mcguffey HsC+ · 40% proficient
- Wheeling Park High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Alexander school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Alexander 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 West Alexander against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in West Alexander
Is West Alexander a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Alexander ranks 24,942nd of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on low disaster risk, health care access, and a stable housing market, and lowest on a weak job market and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Alexander expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $206,777. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $80,250 median income, cost of living beats 57% of towns.
Is West Alexander safe?
West Alexander is safer than 51% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $270 per resident a year.
Compare West Alexander with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Alexander. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Alexander 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.
West Alexander detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Alexander: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Alexander: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Alexander: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Alexander: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Alexander 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.