Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in West Virginia with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in West Virginia that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in West Virginia at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be New Martinsville.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In West Virginia For 2024
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more West Virginia reading:
- Best Counties To Live In West Virginia
- Best Places To Raise A Family In West Virginia
- Best Places To Retire In West Virginia
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In West Virginia For 2024
/10
Population: 5,210
Median Home Price: $135,488
Population Change: 0.0%
Home Price Change: 2.9%
More on New Martinsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,201
Median Home Price: $152,327
Population Change: -2.7%
Home Price Change: 0.5%
More on Buckhannon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,833
Median Home Price: $151,800
Population Change: -0.9%
Home Price Change: 5.6%
More on Princeton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 6,584
Median Home Price: $372,666
Population Change: 3.3%
Home Price Change: 3.7%
More on Charles Town: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 6,908
Median Home Price: $240,660
Population Change: 0.1%
Home Price Change: 2.7%
More on Hurricane: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 6,540
Median Home Price: $121,752
Population Change: -1.4%
Home Price Change: 5.9%
More on Nitro: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 6,935
Median Home Price: $142,726
Population Change: -0.6%
Home Price Change: 3.0%
More on Elkins: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 7,418
Median Home Price: $114,878
Population Change: -1.1%
Home Price Change: 6.5%
More on Dunbar: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 8,157
Median Home Price: $127,514
Population Change: -0.9%
Home Price Change: 13.3%
More on Oak Hill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 8,056
Median Home Price: $117,602
Population Change: -1.7%
Home Price Change: -6.3%
More on Moundsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in West Virginia for 2024?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 9. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in West Virginia. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in West Virginia with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2018-2022 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for West Virginia with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in West Virginia, only 25 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 25 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that New Martinsville is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Mountain State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In West Virginia for 2024
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in West Virginia. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in West Virginia are New Martinsville, Buckhannon, Princeton, Charles Town, Hurricane, Nitro, Elkins, Dunbar, Oak Hill, and Moundsville.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In West Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Martinsville | 5,210 | $135,488 | 0.0% | 2.9% |
| 2 | Buckhannon | 5,201 | $152,327 | -2.7% | 0.5% |
| 3 | Princeton | 5,833 | $151,800 | -0.9% | 5.6% |
| 4 | Charles Town | 6,584 | $372,666 | 3.3% | 3.7% |
| 5 | Hurricane | 6,908 | $240,660 | 0.1% | 2.7% |
| 6 | Nitro | 6,540 | $121,752 | -1.4% | 5.9% |
| 7 | Elkins | 6,935 | $142,726 | -0.6% | 3.0% |
| 8 | Dunbar | 7,418 | $114,878 | -1.1% | 6.5% |
| 9 | Oak Hill | 8,157 | $127,514 | -0.9% | 13.3% |
| 10 | Moundsville | 8,056 | $117,602 | -1.7% | -6.3% |
| 11 | Bridgeport | 9,255 | $269,583 | 1.0% | 2.7% |
| 12 | Bluefield | 9,619 | $101,761 | -0.8% | 8.0% |
| 13 | St. Albans | 10,753 | $138,016 | -0.8% | 6.3% |
| 14 | Vienna | 10,642 | $174,695 | -0.3% | 3.5% |
| 15 | South Charleston | 13,527 | $153,555 | -0.5% | 5.2% |
| 16 | Clarksburg | 15,977 | $103,032 | -0.7% | 6.0% |
| 17 | Beckley | 17,132 | $113,834 | -0.7% | 9.6% |
| 18 | Martinsburg | 18,678 | $275,161 | 1.0% | 2.7% |
| 19 | Fairmont | 18,402 | $157,592 | 0.2% | 1.3% |
| 20 | Weirton | 18,971 | $130,867 | -0.9% | 0.1% |
| 21 | Wheeling | 26,900 | $133,839 | -0.9% | -0.6% |
| 22 | Parkersburg | 29,685 | $134,004 | -0.8% | 3.7% |
| 23 | Morgantown | 30,220 | $267,332 | 3.1% | 2.6% |
| 24 | Huntington | 46,637 | $115,258 | -0.6% | 1.0% |
| 25 | Charleston | 48,415 | $154,944 | -1.3% | 6.3% |