The 10 Worst Small Towns In Pennsylvania For 2024

Most Americans have never been to small town Pennsylvania. However, as the Pennsylvanian who live there know, small town Pennsylvania is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Pennsylvania has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Keystone State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 693 of Pennsylvania’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Pennsylvania where you’d never want to live:

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Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

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These are the worst small towns in Pennsylvania for 2024:

1. Renovo
2. Mount Union
3. Shenandoah
4. Woodland Heights
5. Reynoldsville
6. Nesquehoning
7. Westfield
8. Rankin
9. Girardville
10. Mahanoy City

So what is the worst small town to call home in Pennsylvania for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Renovo is the worst small town to live in Pennsylvania.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Renovo home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Pennsylvania or the worst places to live in Pennsylvania.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Pennsylvania For 2024

1. Renovo

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,081
Median Home Value: $56,415
Median Income: $28,750
Unemployment Rate: 15.0%

2. Mount Union

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,130
Median Home Value: $107,987
Median Income: $38,382
Unemployment Rate: 14.0%

3. Shenandoah

Source: Wikipedia User Shuvaev | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,288
Median Home Value: $38,565
Median Income: $40,435
Unemployment Rate: 11.8%

4. Woodland Heights

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,326
Median Home Value: $153,204
Median Income: $50,526
Unemployment Rate: 22.6%

5. Reynoldsville

Source: Wikipedia User Doug Kerr | CC BY-SA 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,551
Median Home Value: $97,870
Median Income: $43,797
Unemployment Rate: 9.7%

6. Nesquehoning

Source: Wikipedia User Hshuvaeva | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,341
Median Home Value: $181,289
Median Income: $51,213
Unemployment Rate: 14.8%

7. Westfield

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,258
Median Home Value: $98,164
Median Income: $44,500
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%

8. Rankin

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,837
Median Home Value: $92,717
Median Income: $29,107
Unemployment Rate: 18.2%

9. Girardville

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,260
Median Home Value: $32,965
Median Income: $45,139
Unemployment Rate: 8.7%

10. Mahanoy City

Source: Wikipedia User Doug Kerr | CC BY-SA 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,548
Median Home Value: $36,140
Median Income: $37,440
Unemployment Rate: 13.7%

Next 10 Towns

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Pennsylvania is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Pennsylvania, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

• Population Density (The lower, the worse)
• Highest Unemployment Rates
• Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
• Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
• Education (Number of high school dropouts)
• High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 693 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Pennsylvania.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Pennsylvania

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Keystone State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The worst small towns in Pennsylvania are Renovo, Mount Union, Shenandoah, Woodland Heights, Reynoldsville, Nesquehoning, Westfield, Rankin, Girardville, and Mahanoy City.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Pennsylvania, according to science:

1. Aspinwall (Pop. 2,890)
2. Colony Park (Pop. 1,044)
3. Ne (Pop. 2,169)

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Pennsylvania

Rank	Town	Population	Unemployment Rate	Home Value	Median Income
1	Renovo	1,081	15.0%	$56,415	$28,750
2	Mount Union	2,130	14.0%	$107,987	$38,382
3	Shenandoah	4,288	11.8%	$38,565	$40,435
4	Woodland Heights	1,326	22.6%	$153,204	$50,526
5	Reynoldsville	2,551	9.7%	$97,870	$43,797
6	Nesquehoning	3,341	14.8%	$181,289	$51,213
7	Westfield	1,258	6.1%	$98,164	$44,500
8	Rankin	1,837	18.2%	$92,717	$29,107
9	Girardville	1,260	8.7%	$32,965	$45,139
10	Mahanoy City	3,548	13.7%	$36,140	$37,440
11	Brownsville	2,422	6.8%	$66,388	$28,657
12	Lansford	4,129	19.6%	$77,414	$43,045
13	East Uniontown	2,243	9.4%	$116,776	$44,320
14	Mount Oliver	3,357	10.1%	$77,775	$35,640
15	Marienville	3,191	7.8%	$124,606	$43,403
16	Collinsburg	1,065	8.5%	$140,948	$56,176
17	Honesdale	4,469	9.4%	$268,251	$34,700
18	Knox	1,063	11.5%	$137,657	$51,023
19	Hyde	1,048	5.1%	$111,555	$50,550
20	Glen Lyon	1,958	0.0%	$95,769	$32,746
21	Point Marion	1,276	5.8%	$87,255	$47,500
22	Bentleyville	2,409	4.8%	$147,852	$53,152
23	Homestead	2,905	9.9%	$63,440	$29,306
24	Canton	1,791	6.0%	$138,905	$41,000
25	North Braddock	4,320	16.3%	$60,033	$39,885
26	North Warren	1,922	7.6%	$118,818	$53,295
27	Fairchance	1,657	7.4%	$128,531	$37,232
28	Montrose	1,396	8.0%	$213,634	$50,250
29	Falls Creek	1,037	8.9%	$113,028	$50,000
30	Donora	4,561	12.7%	$42,791	$42,651
31	Susquehanna Depot	1,395	9.6%	$97,029	$54,911
32	Colwyn	2,849	23.1%	$99,866	$51,188
33	Midland	2,658	11.2%	$100,223	$61,083
34	Dravosburg	1,614	6.9%	$94,121	$43,208
35	Union City	2,937	7.5%	$134,468	$41,764
36	South Connellsville	1,884	3.6%	$94,873	$46,500
37	Lemont Furnace	1,034	4.3%	$78,191	$46,250
38	Farrell	4,280	7.4%	$57,375	$29,063
39	Waterford	1,244	9.2%	$172,724	$48,393
40	Arnold	4,778	13.9%	$70,397	$38,150
41	Braddock	1,814	29.4%	$46,686	$27,212
42	Gallitzin	1,530	7.0%	$96,121	$52,500
43	Lykens	1,631	5.2%	$126,989	$67,768
44	Emporium	1,988	10.1%	$74,489	$34,387
45	Bowman	1,140	16.1%	$181,803	$51,544
46	Cambridge Springs	2,297	6.3%	$164,890	$52,109
47	Ashley	2,612	7.6%	$124,139	$39,234
48	Sugarcreek	4,785	5.1%	$109,967	$52,153
49	Republic	1,324	14.5%	$49,108	$52,610
50	Pocono Ranch Lands	1,218	23.3%	$181,916	$90,692
51	Mcadoo	2,583	6.0%	$127,596	$43,538
52	Glassport	4,439	9.9%	$73,379	$49,345
53	Pitcairn	3,084	12.0%	$78,362	$35,829
54	Wilmerding	1,834	13.2%	$56,546	$36,161
55	West Mayfield	1,270	8.9%	$140,040	$52,017
56	Nanty-Glo	2,434	4.8%	$86,816	$39,242
57	Windsor	1,330	8.2%	$252,020	$57,411
58	Northern Cambria	3,548	5.3%	$78,523	$49,750
59	Coaldale Borough (Schuylkill County)	2,314	7.7%	$63,892	$54,139
60	Shippensburg University	1,924	16.5%	$0	$20,833
61	The Hideout	2,069	6.8%	$184,867	$52,854
62	Maso	3,263	9.5%	$128,238	$52,692
63	Rochester	3,460	5.9%	$105,881	$40,009
64	Paint	1,122	11.0%	$105,654	$44,028
65	Milroy	1,556	5.6%	$168,116	$60,875
66	Ridgway	4,014	6.4%	$95,440	$50,658
67	Eddystone	2,170	9.8%	$126,081	$53,355
68	Everett	2,154	6.6%	$189,785	$37,708
69	Marcus Hook	2,290	9.4%	$285,109	$47,594
70	Edgewood	2,225	8.8%	$84,886	$40,550
71	Troy	1,431	1.1%	$162,851	$47,992
72	New Beaver	1,307	5.0%	$109,172	$58,264
73	Sandy	1,086	0.0%	$148,211	$50,093
74	Minersville	4,377	2.7%	$76,363	$49,555
75	North York	2,374	11.3%	$136,976	$62,292
76	Mcconnellsburg	1,056	13.2%	$197,203	$33,458
77	Monongahela	4,147	7.8%	$145,207	$50,000
78	Waymart	1,226	6.0%	$273,954	$50,568
79	Hiller	1,296	11.7%	$66,224	$88,984
80	Mercer	1,950	5.7%	$219,443	$47,250
81	New Eagle	2,164	14.1%	$116,584	$50,158
82	Clymer	1,109	5.3%	$102,010	$45,750
83	Curwensville	2,559	9.0%	$124,030	$46,726
84	Hallstead	1,345	5.6%	$171,020	$47,125
85	South Coatesville	1,751	8.7%	$268,392	$63,438
86	Fairview-Ferndale	1,837	5.7%	$75,013	$37,163
87	Biglerville	1,213	10.0%	$270,708	$49,634
88	Pleasant Hill	3,263	19.7%	$165,234	$58,366
89	Whitaker	1,232	11.4%	$104,985	$59,242
90	Forest City	1,612	8.5%	$168,675	$55,694
91	Wesleyville	3,209	7.8%	$109,513	$44,417
92	Inkerman	1,304	5.7%	$0	$39,324
93	Ashland	2,493	6.0%	$96,517	$62,854
94	Kane	3,605	7.9%	$94,814	$45,481
95	Mansfield	3,024	6.4%	$224,939	$40,565
96	Weatherly	2,544	7.8%	$203,405	$56,094
97	New Philadelphia	1,052	3.4%	$80,955	$49,375
98	Rimersburg	1,078	0.0%	$84,546	$46,964
99	Mcclure	1,171	2.7%	$181,960	$62,667
100	Clarion	4,205	10.2%	$163,872	$43,178