CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.61° N · 79.88° W · GEOID 5410420

Brookhaven

Monongalia County, West Virginia · part of the Morgantown, WV metro

West VirginiaBrookhaven, WVBrookhavenBrookhaven

The short answer

Brookhaven is home to 6,212 people. Median household income is $88,438 a year and median rent is $1,104 a month, 15.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $261,000, about 3.0x annual median household income.

Brookhaven stands out for what is close at hand. OpenStreetMap shows 0 parks per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 95% of places its size. It is the lowest of 31 West Virginia places we track. Also notable: Rent rose 9% a year while household income rose 4.1% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by more than in 88% of places its size. It is the highest of 31 West Virginia places we track.

78OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Brookhaven scores better than 78% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 7th of 31 in West Virginia.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%84
Economy 20%57
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%20
Education 10%66
Commute 10%79
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,104
19% below the median place
Median household income
$88,438
10% above the median place
Median home value
$261,000
18% below the median place
Unemployment
4.7%
3% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Brookhaven

  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 15% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 83% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Brookhaven

Monongalia County loses about 3.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,678
Moved out4,911
Net−233

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Preston County, WV269296−27
Greene County, PA96
Taylor County, WV77

Within West Virginia, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within West VirginiaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$56K
Leavers$72K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Monongalia County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
12.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 6.6% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Monongalia County report $56,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $71,800, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$44,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,104 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,480 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $261,000.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 12.5% work from home; 1.1% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Ellettsville, IN matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
6.6%
235% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
12.3%
114% above the median place
Income of households moving in6
$56,290
20% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBrookhavenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure12.3%114% above
Moved from another state1County figure6.6%235% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-3.2below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$56,29020% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$71,7822% above
02

What it costs to live here

Homeowners pay a median of about 0.5% of home value a year in property tax, less than in 90% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track.

Brookhaven15.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$44,160
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.0%
26% below the median place
Home price to income
3.0x
22% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$76,100
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Brookhaven, $1,104 a month, and local prices for everything else (98.3 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Brookhaven, but easier on the budget

Places that match Brookhaven on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Ellettsville, IN9611.4% vs 15.0%$5,900Compare
Gilbertsville, PA9312.0% vs 15.0%$25,900Compare
Sergeant Bluff, IA9211.2% vs 15.0%$42,200Compare
Rockton, IL919.2% vs 15.0%$35,300Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Brookhaven.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Brookhaven? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.5%
47% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,245
62% below the median place
Homeownership1
83.0%
25% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureBrookhavenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,10419% below
Rent to income115.0%26% below
Property tax rate10.5%47% below
Home price to income13.0x22% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure93.38% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,14329% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,24562% below
Median home value1$261,00018% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure1.8%42% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure30.8%40% below
Homeownership183.0%25% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure54.1%7% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,48021% below
Vacant homes1County figure10.6%50% above
Median year built119901% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 20 min, 18% below the median place.

Mean commute1
20 min
18% below the median place
Median household income1
$88,438
10% above the median place
Income per person1
$37,410
7% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBrookhavenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$88,43810% above
Income per person1$37,4107% below
Unemployment1County figure4.7%3% below
Average annual pay5County figure$68,0763% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.4%8% below
Jobs5County figure59,77060% below
Poverty rate110.5%3% below
Mean commute120 min18% below
Works from home112.5%0% above
Commutes by transit1County figure1.1%27% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 2.8, 11% above the median place.

Household size1
2.8
11% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
94.9%
3% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
40.5%
26% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age37.1 −5%
No health insurance5.3% −17%
High school or higher91.5% −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureBrookhavenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population16,2125815th largest
Median age137.15% below
Bachelor's or higher140.5%26% above
High school or higher191.5%1% below
Household size12.811% above
Born abroad1County figure5.3%39% below
No health insurance15.3%17% below
Homes with broadband194.9%3% above
05

Life in Brookhaven

About 7 km of named paths and bike trails are mapped in and around the city, more than in 88% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.

50 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k3.2 −66%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k4.8 −57%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails7 km 3.5×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Friendship Hill 12 miles
  • Fort Necessity National Battlefield 21 miles
  • Flight 93 National Memorial 60 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars29.0 +39%
Shops34.2 +13%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.7 +39%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.8 −7%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site9
12.1
61% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
29.0
39% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
5.7
39% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureBrookhavenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure20122% above
Public school students11County figure11,438134% above
Students per teacher11County figure15.12% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure29.039% above
Shops per 10k7County figure34.213% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure5.739% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure18.87% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.013% below
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k83.266% below
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k84.857% below
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails87.0250% above
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site912.161% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles920% above
National Register listings10County figure50285% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 41.5, 54% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Brookhaven. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk13
41.5
54% below the median place
Wildfire risk13
30.8
50% below the median place
Natural hazard risk13
71.5
23% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureBrookhavenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure83°F4% below
January average low12County figure22°F15% below
Average temperature12County figure52°F5% below
Annual precipitation12County figure46.2 in5% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure71.523% below
Hurricane risk13County figure63.211% below
Tornado risk13County figure46.043% below
Wildfire risk13County figure30.850% below
Heat wave risk13County figure41.554% below
Median air quality index14County figure422% below
Good air days14County figure79.8%16% above
08

Brookhaven in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, up from 15% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Brookhaven does better than 83% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 13%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,104/mo (2024)$1,450/mo$1,190 to $1,760/mo+4.6%
Median household income$88,438 (2024)$112,000$94,500 to $132,500+4.0%
Median home value$261,000 (2024)$364,000$264,000 to $501,000+5.7%

The median home would be worth 3.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.0 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Brookhaven

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Liberty, MO$1,160$88,542Compare
Plover, WI$1,089$88,042Compare
De Pere, WI$1,053$84,869Compare
Nixa, MO$1,083$83,385Compare
Nixa, MODe Pere, WIPlover, WILiberty, MOBrookhaven, WVBrookhavenLibertyPloverDe PereNixaBrookhavenLibertyPloverDe PereNixa

Places built like Brookhaven

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Brookhaven performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Brookhaven, WV15.0%4.1%/yrn/a
Falmouth, VA20.1%3.4%/yrn/aCompare
Unionville, NC12.2%3.7%/yr10.4%Compare
High Springs, FL23.9%10.6%/yr8.5%Compare
Lugoff, SC15.8%5.9%/yrn/aCompare
Seffner, FL23.4%6.1%/yrn/aCompare
Bowleys Quarters, MD21.1%3.1%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Brookhaven a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 78 out of 100, better than 78% of the places we rate and 7th of 31 in West Virginia. The median rent takes 15% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 83% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 94 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Brookhaven expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $261,000.

What salary do you need to live in Brookhaven?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $44,160 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Brookhaven?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Liberty, MO, Plover, WI, De Pere, WI and Nixa, MO.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Brookhaven with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Brookhaven itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/brookhaven-west-virginia

Citytistics. “Brookhaven, West Virginia.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/brookhaven-west-virginia/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.