Best PlacesWest Bolivar, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Bolivar, 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 Bolivar ranks 31,758th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in West Bolivar
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 Bolivar's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Bolivar ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than 94% of towns
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 89% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than 87% of towns
- Big-city accessBetter than 75% of towns
Where West Bolivar ranks low
- Short commute36.6 minutes each way, better than only 10% of towns
- BikingBetter than only 12% of towns
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of towns
- State infrastructureBetter than only 19% of towns
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 20% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in West Bolivar
A household needs to earn about $31,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Bolivar home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $67,917, 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 Bolivar's effective rate of 1.07%, 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 West Bolivar
West Bolivar'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 West Bolivar.
Who works in West Bolivar, and how
Work in West Bolivar centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in West Bolivar
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across West Bolivar.
What the weather is like in West Bolivar, month by month
West Bolivar sees roughly 84 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 31° | 24° |
| April | 63° | 52° | 42° |
| July | 84° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 65° | 55° | 46° |
Flying in and out of West Bolivar
The nearest airport, Arnold Palmer Regional, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 56 miles away.
The best schools in and around West Bolivar
Schools across West Bolivar average a B, better than 68% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Laurel Valley El SchB · 48% proficient
- Blairsville El SchC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ligonier Valley MsC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Bolivar school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Bolivar 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 Bolivar against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in West Bolivar
Is West Bolivar a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Bolivar ranks 31,758th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on low disaster risk, tree cover, and a stable housing market, and lowest on long commutes and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Bolivar expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $114,700. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $67,917 median income, cost of living beats 31% of towns.
Is West Bolivar safe?
West Bolivar is safer than 41% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $278 per resident a year.
Compare West Bolivar with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Bolivar. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Bolivar 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 Bolivar detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Bolivar: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Bolivar: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Bolivar: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Bolivar: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Bolivar 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.