The 26003 zip code in Wheeling tops our ranking of the most affordable places to live in West Virginia.
We looked at 40 zip codes in the state, evaluating home values, rental costs, energy rates, property taxes, and five other affordability indicators. We used the data we gathered to calculate our proprietary Affordability Score for each zip code.
Top 10 most affordable places to live in West Virginia
| Rank | City | Affordability Score | Median home value | Rental costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheeling 🥇 | 100.0 | $156,577 | $822 |
| 2 | Pleasant Valley 🥈 | 100.0 | $182,390 | $1,006 |
| 3 | Clarksburg 🥉 | 99.2 | $116,816 | $904 |
| 4 | Weirton | 94.7 | $146,986 | $849 |
| 5 | Parkersburg | 94.1 | $132,826 | $838 |
| 6 | Saint Albans | 94.0 | $147,808 | $775 |
| 7 | Keyser | 93.5 | $179,264 | $1,218 |
| 8 | Moundsville | 92.9 | $126,259 | $1,218 |
| 9 | Huntington | 91.1 | $131,543 | $1,218 |
| 10 | Charleston | 89.5 | $253,163 | $1,225 |
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1. Wheeling
Here's why the 26003 zip code in Wheeling is West Virginia's most affordable place to live.
🔎 Key data about Wheeling
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 100.0 | No. 1 | N/A |
| Median home value | $156,577[1] | No. 12 | -$55,989.55 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.7 | No. 13 | -0.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 16.8%[2] | No. 4 | -11.7% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -2.5%[3] | No. 2 | -1.9% |
| Rental costs | $822[4] | No. 2 | -$396 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.42% | No. 5 | -0.4% |
| Median household income | $57,703[5] | No. 24 | -$7,871 |
| Property taxes | $963[6] | No. 16 | -$128 |
| Energy costs | $0.16 kWh[7] | No. 23 | $0.01 |
Wheeling's 26003 zip code is the cheapest place to live in West Virginia, leading the 40 markets we evaluated.
The median home value is $156,577, making it the 12th-cheapest housing market in the state. Forecasts project a -2.5% change in home values in the next year. Rent in the zip code averages $822 per month, which is the 5th cheapest amount in West Virginia.
The median property tax for homeowners in Wheeling is $963 per household, the No. 16 ranked market in West Virginia.
Residents pay $0.16 per kWh of electricity, which ranks No. 23 among West Virginia markets.
2. Pleasant Valley
The 26554 zip code is the 2nd-cheapest place to live in West Virginia.
🔎 Key data about Pleasant Valley
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 100.0 | No. 2 | N/A |
| Median home value | $182,390[8] | No. 20 | -$30,175.74 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.6 | No. 9 | -0.6 |
| Home value five-year change | 20.0%[9] | No. 6 | -8.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.6%[10] | No. 4 | -1.0% |
| Rental costs | $1,006[11] | No. 8 | -$213 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.44% | No. 6 | -0.4% |
| Median household income | $69,712[12] | No. 14 | $4,138 |
| Property taxes | $1,053[13] | No. 21 | -$38 |
| Energy costs | $0.14 kWh[14] | No. 6 | -$0.01 |
Pleasant Valley's 26554 zip code has a median home value of $182,390, which is the 4th-cheapest housing market in West Virginia. You can rent for an average of $1,006 per month. That's the 8th-cheapest price in the state.
The average household income in the zip code is $69,712, which ranks 14th-highest in the state.
Homeowners in Pleasant Valley pay a median property tax of $1,053 per year, making it the 21st-most affordable market in West Virginia.
Pleasant Valley ranks No. 6 among West Virginia energy markets. You'll pay $0.14 per kWh of electricity.
3. Clarksburg
The 3rd-cheapest place to live in West Virginia is Clarksburg's 26301 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Clarksburg
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 99.2 | No. 3 | N/A |
| Median home value | $116,816[15] | No. 3 | -$95,750.11 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.3 | No. 4 | -0.9 |
| Home value five-year change | 11.0%[16] | No. 1 | -17.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.9%[17] | No. 3 | -1.3% |
| Rental costs | $904[18] | No. 7 | -$314 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.82% | No. 10 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | $49,816[19] | No. 37 | -$15,758 |
| Property taxes | $754[20] | No. 8 | -$337 |
| Energy costs | $0.14 kWh[21] | No. 6 | -$0.01 |
The No. 3 cheapest housing market in West Virginia is Clarksburg's 26301 zip code, with a median home value of $116,816. Rents in the market average $904 per month, making it the 7th-most affordable rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Clarksburg is $754, which makes it the 8th-cheapest place in West Virginia. Clarksburg ranks No. 6 among West Virginia markets by energy costs. Residents pay $0.14 per kWh of electricity.
4. Weirton
The 26062 zip code in Weirton comes in at No. 4 on our list of the cheapest places to live in West Virginia.
🔎 Key data about Weirton
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 94.7 | No. 4 | N/A |
| Median home value | $146,986[22] | No. 8 | -$65,580.22 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.4 | No. 5 | -0.8 |
| Home value five-year change | 32.0%[23] | No. 21 | 3.4% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.2%[24] | No. 20 | 0.4% |
| Rental costs | $849[25] | No. 4 | -$370 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.40% | No. 2 | -0.5% |
| Median household income | $60,702[26] | No. 21 | -$4,872 |
| Property taxes | $850[27] | No. 13 | -$241 |
| Energy costs | $0.14 kWh[28] | No. 6 | -$0.01 |
The No. 8 cheapest housing market in West Virginia is Weirton's 26062 zip code, where the median home value is $146,986. Renters here pay an average of $849 per month.
When it comes to energy costs, Weirton ranks 6th among West Virginia markets. Residents pay $0.14 per kWh of electricity.
The median property tax for households in the zip code is $850, which makes it the 13th-cheapest market in West Virginia.
5. Parkersburg
The 26101 zip code in Parkersburg ranks No. 5 among West Virginia's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Parkersburg
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 94.1 | No. 5 | N/A |
| Median home value | $132,826[29] | No. 6 | -$79,740.21 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.7 | No. 14 | -0.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 24.4%[30] | No. 9 | -4.1% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.6%[31] | No. 16 | 0.0% |
| Rental costs | $838[32] | No. 3 | -$381 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.72% | No. 8 | -0.1% |
| Median household income | $48,710[33] | No. 38 | -$16,864 |
| Property taxes | $818[34] | No. 12 | -$273 |
| Energy costs | $0.14 kWh[35] | No. 6 | -$0.01 |
Parkersburg's 26101 zip code has a median home value of $132,826, the 6th-cheapest market in the state. Forecasts project a -0.6% change in home values in the next year.
The median property tax per household in Parkersburg is $818. It's the 12th-cheapest market by tax rate in West Virginia.
6. Saint Albans
The No. 6 most affordable place to live in West Virginia is the 25177 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Saint Albans
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 94.0 | No. 6 | N/A |
| Median home value | $147,808[36] | No. 9 | -$64,758.50 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.7 | No. 11 | -0.6 |
| Home value five-year change | 27.6%[37] | No. 14 | -0.9% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.1%[38] | No. 22 | 0.5% |
| Rental costs | $775[39] | No. 1 | -$443 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.41% | No. 3 | -0.5% |
| Median household income | $55,046[40] | No. 29 | -$10,528 |
| Property taxes | $893[41] | No. 15 | -$198 |
| Energy costs | $0.17 kWh[42] | No. 25 | $0.02 |
The back half of our top 10 kicks off with Saint Albans's 25177 zip code, which has the 9th-cheapest home values in West Virginia. The median home value is $147,808. Rents average $775 per month, making it the 1st-most affordable rental market in the state.
Residents pay $0.17 per kWh of electricity. It's the 25th-cheapest energy market.
7. Keyser
Keyser's 26726 zip code is the 7th-cheapest place to live in West Virginia.
🔎 Key data about Keyser
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 93.5 | No. 7 | N/A |
| Median home value | $179,264[43] | No. 19 | -$33,302.48 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.5 | No. 7 | -0.7 |
| Home value five-year change | 22.5%[44] | No. 8 | -6.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.2%[45] | No. 20 | 0.4% |
| Rental costs | $1,218[46] | No. 12 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.86% | No. 12 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | $70,944[47] | No. 12 | $5,370 |
| Property taxes | $785[48] | No. 10 | -$306 |
| Energy costs | $0.13 kWh[49] | No. 1 | -$0.02 |
You'll find the 19th-cheapest home values in West Virginia in Keyser's 26726 zip code. The median value: $179,264. Renters in Keyser pay an average of $1,218 per month.
Homeowners in Keyser pay a median property tax of $785 per year, which is West Virginia's 10th-most affordable market.
The average household income is $70,944, which ranks 12th-highest in the state.
8. Moundsville
The 8th-cheapest place to live in West Virginia is Moundsville's 26041 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Moundsville
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 92.9 | No. 8 | N/A |
| Median home value | $126,259[50] | No. 4 | -$86,307.45 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.3 | No. 3 | -0.9 |
| Home value five-year change | 28.5%[51] | No. 16 | 0.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -3.1%[52] | No. 1 | -2.5% |
| Rental costs | $1,218[53] | No. 12 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.86% | No. 12 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | $54,419[54] | No. 30 | -$11,155 |
| Property taxes | $627[55] | No. 3 | -$464 |
| Energy costs | $0.17 kWh[56] | No. 40 | $0.02 |
The 4th-cheapest housing market in West Virginia is Moundsville's 26041 zip code, with a median home value of $126,259. Renters pay an average of $1,218 per month, the No. 12 rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Moundsville is $627, which makes it the 3rd-cheapest place in West Virginia. The average household income of $54,419 ranks 30th.
9. Huntington
Huntington's 25704 zip code sneaks into the top ten of West Virginia's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Huntington
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 91.1 | No. 9 | N/A |
| Median home value | $131,543[57] | No. 5 | -$81,022.73 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.5 | No. 6 | -0.8 |
| Home value five-year change | 27.7%[58] | No. 15 | -0.8% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.0%[59] | No. 9 | -0.4% |
| Rental costs | $1,218[60] | No. 12 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.86% | No. 12 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | $53,189[61] | No. 33 | -$12,385 |
| Property taxes | $638[62] | No. 4 | -$453 |
| Energy costs | $0.17 kWh[63] | No. 25 | $0.02 |
The 5th-cheapest housing market in West Virginia is Huntington's 25704 zip code, where the median home value is $131,543. Renters pay an average of $1,218 per month. It's the state's 12th-cheapest rental market.
The median property tax for households within the zip code is $638, which makes it the 4th-cheapest property tax rate in West Virginia.
10. Charleston
The final spot on our list of the most affordable places to live in West Virginia goes to the 25314 zip code in Charleston.
🔎 Key data about Charleston
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 40 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 89.5 | No. 10 | N/A |
| Median home value | $253,163[64] | No. 28 | $40,597.10 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.7 | No. 10 | -0.6 |
| Home value five-year change | 33.2%[65] | No. 25 | 4.7% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.1%[66] | No. 22 | 0.5% |
| Rental costs | $1,225[67] | No. 30 | $7 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.30% | No. 1 | -0.6% |
| Median household income | $94,556[68] | No. 2 | $28,982 |
| Property taxes | $1,800[69] | No. 38 | $709 |
| Energy costs | $0.17 kWh[70] | No. 25 | $0.02 |
The 28th-most affordable market in West Virginia is Charleston's 25314 zip code. The median home value is $253,163. Rent in the market costs $1,225 per month on average, making it the 30th-most affordable rental market in West Virginia.
The median property tax for households in Charleston is $1,800, which is the 38th-cheapest property tax rate in the state.
Charleston ranks No. 25 among West Virginia markets by energy costs, with households paying $0.17 per kWh of electricity.
How we ranked the most affordable places in West Virginia
We evaluated 40 zip codes in West Virginia with a population over 10,000 on nine metrics. We then assigned each market an Affordability Score based on its weighted and combined rankings.
Our proprietary Affordability Score is a score on a scale of 0 (worst in state) to 100 (best in state) that estimates the affordability of a particular zip code. It takes into account these key data points for each zip code.
- Median home value: The median home value for each zip code comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. The lower the median home value relative to the median value in West Virginia, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 13.0% to median home value.
- Home affordability ratio. The home affordability ratio is the typical median home value divided by the median household income in the zip code, which reveals the number of years of household income needed to afford a home in that zip code. A lower ratio is better because it means more households can afford a home. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 28.0% to the home affordability ratio.
- Home value five-year change: The home value five-year change is the amount that the median home value in the zip code has risen or fallen during the last five years. Our data comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. We assign a weight of 10.0% to the home value five-year change.
- Home value one-year forecast: The home value one-year forecast comes from Zillow Forecast data. It projects how much home values in the zip code are forecasted to change in the next year. We assign a weight of 8.0% to the home value one-year forecast.
- Rental costs. The rental costs are the observed rents in the zip code, sourced from the Zillow Observed Rent Index. The index includes "listed rents that fall into the 40th to 60th percentile range for all homes and apartments in a given region." We assign a weight of 7.0% to rental costs.
- Median household income: The inflation-adjusted median household income figures for the zip code comes from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 5.0% to median household income.
- Rent affordability ratio. The rent affordability ratio is the ratio of rental costs divided by median household income, which provides the percentage of household income needed to pay a typical month’s rent in the zip code. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 17.0% to the rent affordability ratio.
- Property taxes: The property tax figures are the median real estate taxes paid in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The lower the property tax rate relative to the West Virginia average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 8.0% to property taxes.
- Energy costs: The energy costs are the costs of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of residential electricity in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Department of Energy. The lower the cost of electricity relative to the West Virginia average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 4.0% to energy costs.
✍️ Editor’s note: Our Affordability Score identifies the most affordable places in a state by zip code. Often the zip code we identify will represent an entire city or portion of a city.
Occasionally the zip code we identify will encompass an area that includes one or more small towns. In these cases, the data we’ve gathered applies to the entire zip code, not just the single town we’re using to help identify the zip code's location.
If you’re looking to move to one of these affordable places, we recommend doing additional research to make sure the costs in the area — and the quality of life it offers — meet your specific needs.
