Buckhannon 72 Excellent
Buckhannon Livability #48 ranked city in West Virginia#5,887 ranked city in the USARanks better than 79% of areas
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Pros and Cons of Living in Buckhannon

PROS
  • Cost Of Living Cost Of Living

    The overall cost of living in this area is much lower than average. This includes everyday goods and services, as well as housing, utilities and health care.

  • Housing Housing

    This area has received high scores in the housing category. This could be due to a positive home affordability ratio, high appreciation rates or elevated home values.

  • Health & Safety Health & Safety

    A high score in the health and safety category is a result of good air quality and the accessibility to health facilities such as hospitals, clinics, doctors, pharmacies and fire stations.

CONS
  • Commute Commute

    Public transportation is not readily available in this area and the average commute time to work could also be longer than the national average.

  • Employment Employment

    A low score in the employment category could indicate that this area struggles with high unemployment rates and low household income and income per capita levels.

  • Schools Schools

    Lower than average education levels, poor reading and math scores, as well as the inaccessibility of local elementary and high schools could all be factors in the low schools score.

  • Ratings Ratings

    AreaVibes conducted surveys and polls with locals who live in the area. The results were not favorable for walkability of amenities, parks, public transit and the overall sense of community in the area.

What's it like Living in Buckhannon?

Buckhannon, West Virginia is a smaller city with a population of 5,599 residents. The majority of Buckhannon residents report their race to be White; this is followed by Black and American Indian and Alaskan. Buckhannon is very likely to be a great place to live for singles as only 40%, of the population (over fifteen) are classified as married. Not a fan of sitting in traffic during your commute to work? Buckhannon offers shorter work commutes, with an average one-way commute time taking only 14 minutes, far lower than the national average of 26 minutes.

Whether you’re relocating to a new area to be closer to family, friends or for a new job, living in Buckhannon could be a positive experience compared to other cities in West Virginia if you know where to search. Don't forget to determine what matters most to you in a neighborhood. Consider factors such as safety, proximity to work or school, access to amenities (like parks, fitness facilities, grocery stores, restaurants), public transportation options, community atmosphere and the overall vibe you're looking for. Using the livability score which includes data from categories like cost of living, commute, health & safety, education, housing, you can easily compare the best places to live in Buckhannon and also determine if there are any nearby cities that might be a better match for your lifestyle. You can also compare Buckhannon to West Virginia and the national average.

Buckhannon has a livability score of 73/100 and is ranked #32 in West Virginia and #4,606 in the USA. Based on the rankings for each individual category, Buckhannon has received high marks for amenities (B-), crime (A+), cost of living (A+) and housing (A). Unfortunately for Buckhannon, there are some categories for which it does not score well, this includes: education (F) and employment (F).

For home buyers, real estate will be the largest purchase they will ever make and it will also be their most valuable asset. For renters, the monthly rent paid on their Buckhannon apartments will most likely be their largest expense. Based on tangible metrics like home and rental affordability and appreciation rates, housing in this area has received a score that is well above the average of every other US city. A thriving real estate market can also generate strong local economic activity and job creation.

Assuming that Buckhannon meets all of your requirements like low crime rates, good schools and great local amenities, the next most important item to examine is the affordability of real estate in Buckhannon. Everything else becomes a lot less important if it turns out that home prices in Buckhannon are simply unattainable. Median real estate prices in Buckhannon come in at $236,341, which is 23% higher than the West Virginia average. The home price to income ratio compares the median home prices to the median household income. In Buckhannon, the home price to income ratio is 3.8, which is 22.6% higher than the West Virginia average.

Best Places to Live in and Around Buckhannon

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How Do You Rate The Livability In Buckhannon?

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Compare Buckhannon, WV Livability

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      Buckhannon transportation information

      Statistic Buckhannon West Virginia National
      Average one way commute14min26min26min
      Workers who drive to work58.6%82.0%76.4%
      Workers who carpool4.5%9.9%9.3%
      Workers who take public transit0.0%0.9%5.1%
      Workers who bicycle2.3%0.1%0.6%
      Workers who walk14.4%2.9%2.8%
      Working from home14.9%3.1%4.6%
      Source: The Buckhannon, WV data and statistics displayed above are derived from the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) and include 2026 modeled data developed using proprietary methodologies.