ZIP Code 26159 — Paden City city, WV Demographics & Data

ZIP code 26159 covers Paden City, WV in Wetzel County with a population of about 2,523.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 40.2 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area codes 304, 681; U.S. House district WV-2; the WHEELING - STEUBENVILLE media market.

Median household income in ZIP 26159 is about $54,113 — about 28% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 11.8%; unemployment rate near 4.7%; 16.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 17.1 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Public administration, and Education; about 1.4% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 13.8 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $101,700 — about 71% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $544 (about 53% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 78.9% (about 13.5 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 26159 in Paden City, WV, a household would need roughly $28,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $653. That sits below the local median household income ($54,113), suggesting the typical household income is closer to a workable buy-in level under these assumptions. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Paden City city, WV as Relatively Low (composite score 56.9), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (78.3) and hurricane (50.9). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Paden City city, WV show little to no average snow and around 45.0 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 94 for ZIP 26159 (Paden City city, WV) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.