ZIP Code 26851 — Wardensville town, WV Demographics & Data

ZIP code 26851 covers Wardensville, WV in Hardy County with a population of about 1,612.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 54.6 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 304, 681; U.S. House district WV-2; the WASHINGTON, DC (HAGRSTWN) media market.

Median household income in ZIP 26851 is about $50,179 — about 33% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 22.4%; unemployment rate near 3.1%; 12.3% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 21.4 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Retail trade, Professional services, and Other services; about 0.3% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 14.9 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 $195,400 — about 44% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $675 (about 42% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 85.2% (about 19.8 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 26851 in Wardensville, WV, a household would need roughly $54,000 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 $1,255. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($50,179). 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 Wardensville town, WV as Very Low (composite score 42.5), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (72.7) and flood (65.3). 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 Wardensville town, WV show little to no average snow and around 37.4 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 60 for ZIP 26851 (Wardensville town, 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.