Shock, WV · standard
ZIP Code 26638
Gilmer County, West Virginia - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 178
- 4/sq mi Low-density area
- $106,875
- Median income Above-median income area
- $112,500
- Median home value Below-median home value
- 13.2%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Shock pairs an upper-quartile household income with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 15%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 14th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 4
- people per sq mi
- 100%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 26638 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 26638 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Shock, Gilmer County, West Virginia, home to just 178 residents across 42.4 square miles, a density of 4 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.
ZIP 26638 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $106,875 (85% above the average West Virginia ZIP), while per-capita income is $41,906. Unemployment is 18.2%, an important qualifier alongside the household-income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $112,500 (19% below the average West Virginia ZIP); owner occupancy is 100.0%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 13.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 72.5, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 9 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Gilmer County, so 26638 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 26638, Shock, WV · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
178
Population
42.4
Area (sq mi)
4
People / sq mi
New York
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 26638?
72.5
Median Age
60.7%
Male
39.3%
Female
0.0%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$106,875
Median Household Income
+85% vs state ZIP avg
$41,906
Per Capita Income
0.0%
Poverty Rate
18.2%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 26638 ranks among West Virginia ZIPs
Shock, WV household income vs. every West Virginia ZIP code
Median household income among 539 reporting West Virginia ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$106,875 Top 2% higher than 98% of 539 West Virginia ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more West Virginia ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
37housing units
37
Total Housing Units
37
Occupied Units
0
Vacant Units
2.41
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$112,500
Median Home Value
-19% vs state ZIP avg
2004
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 26638 vs 26636 →
ZIP 26638 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 26147
Grantsville (26147)
2,188 residents
- 25234
Arnoldsburg (25234)
1,200 residents
- 26623
Frametown (26623)
1,189 residents
- 25235
Chloe (25235)
949 residents
- 25268 871
Orma (25268)
871 residents
- 25267 758
Normantown (25267)
758 residents
- 26636 487
Rosedale (26636)
487 residents
- 25261 335
Millstone (25261)
335 residents
- 25141 195
Nebo (25141)
195 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 26638 ranks #0 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 26638 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 26638
Shock (26638)
$106,875 median income
- 26623
Frametown (26623)
$60,761 median income
- 25141
Nebo (25141)
$57,321 median income
- 25235
Chloe (25235)
$52,070 median income
- 25268
Orma (25268)
$50,993 median income
- 26147
Grantsville (26147)
$43,082 median income
- 25234
Arnoldsburg (25234)
$42,813 median income
- 26636 $40,938
Rosedale (26636)
$40,938 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 26638 ranks the highest of 8 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
| ZIP Code | City | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26636 | Rosedale, WV | 487 | 3.2 mi |
| 25268 | Orma, WV | 871 | 5.5 mi |
| 25267 | Normantown, WV | 758 | 6.8 mi |
| 25261 | Millstone, WV | 335 | 6.4 mi |
| 25141 | Nebo, WV | 195 | 9.2 mi |
| 25234 | Arnoldsburg, WV | 1,200 | 7.5 mi |
| 25235 | Chloe, WV | 949 | 8.1 mi |
| 26147 | Grantsville, WV | 2,188 | 10.7 mi |
| 26623 | Frametown, WV | 1,189 | 10.2 mi |
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 26638, both outside WV so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Gilmer County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 26638 in?
ZIP code 26638 (Shock) is located in Gilmer County, West Virginia. Gilmer County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/gilmer-wv.
What is the population of ZIP code 26638?
ZIP code 26638 in Shock, WV has a population of 178 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 26638?
The median household income in ZIP 26638 is $106,875, which is 40% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 26638?
The median home value in ZIP 26638 is $112,500, which is 60% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 26638?
The largest racial group in ZIP 26638 is White at 100.0%.
What is the education level in ZIP code 26638?
In ZIP code 26638, 77.6% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 13.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 26638's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 26638 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Shock, WV ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.