Living in Martinsburg, West Virginia: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 5.8% below the U.S. average in the Hagerstown-Martinsburg metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Martinsburg itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town17 public schools: 12 elementary, 3 middle and 2 high schools.
A hospital close byBerkeley Medical Center is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityWashington is about 64 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Martinsburg meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Martinsburg runs into the built-up area around Hagerstown (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $240,000U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 17%Berkeley County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,150 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $59,555U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 48%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,529 a yearWest Virginia: $865
Homes built before 1940: 23%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 6%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 94.2U.S. average = 100 (the Hagerstown-Martinsburg metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 17% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Hagerstown-Martinsburg metro area, not Martinsburg alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 19,2112020: 18,741
Median age: 37.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 22%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 25%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 12%U.S.: 6%
College students: 5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Retail (17%); schools, health care and social services (16%); manufacturing (15%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 26 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 9%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 20%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Berkeley Medical Center, Martinsburg, WV, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

17 public schools in Martinsburg, run by Berkeley County Schools.

Colleges in or next to town: Blue Ridge Community and Technical College (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on West Virginia's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 78%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 91%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 23°F
July average high: 87°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 29 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 119 a year
Rain and melted snow: 40.7 inches a year
Snow: 23 inches a year
Elevation: 496 feet

Weather stations: Martinsburg 2 (1 mile away) and Winchester (21 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Frederick, MDCity of 92,00030

Washington, DCMetro of 6.5 million64

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Frederick, Washington.

Berkeley County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

58 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops, the Baltimore and Ohio and Related Industries Historic District, the Boomtown Historic District and the Boyd Avenue Historic District. One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park7 miles
Antietam National Battlefield12 miles
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park14 miles
Appalachian National Scenic Trail16 miles
Catoctin Mountain Park29 miles

Read about Martinsburg's history on Wikipedia.

Know Martinsburg?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Inwood, WV2,800 people, 8 miles
Shepherdstown, WV1,500 people, 9 miles
Ranson, WV6,900 people, 11 miles
Williamsport, MD2,100 people, 13 miles
Charles, WV9,300 people, 14 miles
St. James, MD4,800 people, 15 miles

Smaller places

Hedgesville, WV298 people, 7 miles
Falling Waters, WV (unincorporated)2,183 people, 9 miles
Shenandoah Junction, WV (unincorporated)1,141 people, 11 miles
Middleway, WV (unincorporated)479 people, 11 miles
Downsville, MD (unincorporated)958 people, 12 miles
Mercersville, MD (unincorporated)220 people, 12 miles
Sharpsburg, MD573 people, 12 miles
Pinesburg, MD (unincorporated)409 people, 13 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.