Postal Codes

26542 ZIP Code

Advertisement

English Español

ZIP code 26542 covers Masontown, West Virginia, with a population of about 2,120 and a median household income of $59,063.

Population
2,12059 per square mile
Median age
39.81.1 points above the US average
Median household income
$59,063about the West Virginia median
Poverty rate
12.4%about the US average
Typical home value
$172,415up 27.3% in five years
Degree or higher
20.7%14.3 points below the US average
Homeownership
85.2%20.2 points above the US average
Time zone
Eastern UTC-05:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
50

Where 26542 is

Masontown, West Virginia — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population2,120
Median age39.8
Family households70.1%
Born outside the US0%
Speaks a language other than English at home1%
White (non-Hispanic)97.4%
Black (non-Hispanic)0%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0%
Hispanic or Latino1.1%
Veterans12.7%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$59,063
Income per person$29,400
Poverty rate12.4%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance20.3%

Household income distribution

Under $10k6.3%
$10–15k7.3%
$15–20k0.8%
$20–25k2.9%
$25–30k2.1%
$30–35k8.4%
$35–40k4.1%
$40–45k9.8%
$45–50k1.9%
$50–60k8.3%
$60–75k6.0%
$75–100k18.8%
$100–125k7.8%
$125–150k6.3%
$150–200k6.6%
$200k or more2.6%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed1,080
Mean adjusted gross income$70,748
Returns declaring $200,000 or more4.6%
Returns, under $25k28.7%
Returns, $25k–$50k27.8%
Returns, $50k–$75k15.7%
Returns, $75k–$100k9.3%
Returns, $100k–$200k13.9%
Returns, $200k or more4.6%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$152,300
Rent as a share of household income30.8%
Owner-occupied85.2%
Vacant homes12.9%
Median year built1983

What the homes are

Detached house71.5%
2 to 4 units6.1%
5 to 19 units0.9%
20 or more units0.9%
Mobile home20.7%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$172,415as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 5.7%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 27.3%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 70.9%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$172,415$53,526

$53,526 in 2000 to $172,415 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate2.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher20.7%
High school diploma or higher85.3%
Works from home6.5%
Drives to work alone79.3%
Takes public transport0.6%
Commutes 45 minutes or more15.3%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity36.1% 2.7 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes15.3% 3.3 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes18.9% 5.7 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure43.1% 9 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health24.4% 4.1 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)8.2% 3.1 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression30.1% 8.2 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity30.5% 5.1 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis38.6% 13.5 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking15.1% 0.9 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication80% 5.3 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)10.3% 2.6 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma12.1% 1.7 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease8.7% 2.5 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year80.5% 3.8 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening87.4% 1.5 pts above the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability17.9% 3.1 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening69% 4.7 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD10.4% 3.8 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist57.6% 3.7 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability38.9% 8.2 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support23.3% 1.5 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity14.4% 2.7 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps15.3% 1 pts above the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability9.1% 2.4 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol43.3% 7.1 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity11.1% 2.7 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability10.2% 1.8 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport7.9% 1.3 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness34.2% same as the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use78.6% 2.7 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)20.4% 3.6 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability18.3% 4.3 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)16.9% 3.4 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4.2% same as the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat9.6% 0.8 pts above the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours37.1% 0.7 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.1% 0.7 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost18.7% 5.7 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability5.4% same as the national average of 5.6%
Advertisement
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments50
People employed309
Annual payroll$12,509,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 29.6% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low
Expected annual loss32.4 out of 100
Community resilience40.7 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Landslide93.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind76.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought71.8Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning70.6Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire69.7Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather67.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding62.8Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail61.9Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane52.1Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Avalanche49.6Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado41Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm33.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave28.1Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake17.7Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave9.3Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with West Virginia and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPWest VirginiaUnited States
Median household income$59,063$57,917$78,538
Income per person$29,400$32,949$43,289
Poverty rate12.4%16.6%12.4%
Median home value$152,300$155,600$303,400
Median gross rent$850$1,348
Homeownership85.2%74.3%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher20.7%23.3%35%
Unemployment rate2.5%5.7%5.2%
Works from home6.5%8%13.5%
Born outside the US0%1.7%13.9%
Median age39.842.738.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationMORGANTOWN HART FLD, WV US13.3 km away
Rain in a year43 in

Average high and low by month

January40.1°F / 24°F3.12 in rain
February43.7°F / 25.8°F2.81 in rain
March52.6°F / 32.6°F3.65 in rain
April65.2°F / 42.4°F3.87 in rain
May73.6°F / 51.5°F4.33 in rain
June80.9°F / 59.7°F4.07 in rain
July84.4°F / 63.8°F4.93 in rain
August83.1°F / 62.5°F3.65 in rain
September77.1°F / 55.9°F3.41 in rain
October65.9°F / 44.7°F3.09 in rain
November54.1°F / 35.8°F3.02 in rain
December44.3°F / 28.6°F3.2 in rain
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
Far from a supermarket25% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket11% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 2 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Preston County School District75.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Monongalia School District24.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability36more vulnerable than 36% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status54more vulnerable than 54% of US census tracts
Household characteristics31more vulnerable than 31% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status7more vulnerable than 7% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport35more vulnerable than 35% of US census tracts
Walkability5.7 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

26524 Bretz, WV3.5 km away
26547 Reedsville, WV7 km away
26520 Arthurdale, WV8.9 km away
26531 Dellslow, WV9.7 km away
26508 Morgantown, WV11.6 km away
26537 Kingwood, WV12.5 km away
26507 Morgantown, WV12.6 km away
26519 Albright, WV13.3 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Preston County75.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Monongalia County24.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneEastern (UTC-05:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area35.83 sq mi
Water area0.16 sq mi
Population density59 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude39.5731, -79.7906

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

Advertisement