Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pittsburg grades D overall, ranked 143rd of 150 in Kansas, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 90% of U.S. towns, with 74 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $43K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Pittsburg, above both Kansas’ towns (9.1%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Pittsburg has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Pittsburg Public Library and Hotel Stilwell. Only 1 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a lower median household income than Pittsburg.
Where Pittsburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Pittsburg Public LibraryEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Pittsburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 624 in 1880, 20,646 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1945 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pittsburg, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Pittsburg.
Pittsburg is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more, but it has poverty well above the Kansas rate.
Reported crimes fell from 886 to 674 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Pittsburg’s property crime rate is 29.2 per 1,000 residents. Pittsburg reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. Pittsburg’s violent crime rate is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Pittsburg | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Pittsburg school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pittsburg High, with 1,033 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburg Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 692 | C+ |
| Pittsburg HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,033 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
7.8 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Wilderness Park, at 105 acres with 4.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Pittsburg | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wilderness Park | 4.5 mi | 105 |
| 2. 23rd Street Bike Park | 1.5 mi | 34 |
| 3. The Oval | 1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Pittsburg home is worth about $137,000, up 0.9% in a year, 44% below the Kansas typical home. 46% of Pittsburg households own their home.
| Pittsburg | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $854 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
29.6% of residents live below the poverty line, against 11.3% across Kansas, which weighs on its C− for jobs and income. The median household earns $43,419, against $74,275 across Kansas.
Adults 18 to 34 are 39% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 26% of residents (36% statewide). The median age in Pittsburg is 25.7 years. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Kansas.
| Pittsburg | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 25.7 years | 38.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 24% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.4 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 27.5, men 24.5.
| Pittsburg | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.4% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 26.3% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.4% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.4% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.7% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.9% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.2% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.9% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Pittsburg has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 24° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 3,462 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pittsburg’s, it is healthier than 85%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
38% of adults feel lonely in Pittsburg. Among 150 Kansas towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Pittsburg. 21% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Pittsburg.
| Pittsburg | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 77% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Pittsburg | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 8.1% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 33% | 36.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.5% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
49% of Pittsburg’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Frontenac (7%), Girard (3%) and Joplin (3%).
| Pittsburg | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 49% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.8% | 8.8% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 49 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pittsburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pittsburg
College town 16 of every 100 Pittsburg residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
10 places in Pittsburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
30 notable people were born in Pittsburg.
City in Crawford County, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States, located in southeast Kansas near the Missouri state border. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 20,646. It is the home of Pittsburg State University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Pittsburg.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Baker Township (C−) is closest.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburg | #143 | D | C+ | D | B− | C+ |
| Baker Township | #126 | C− | C+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Frontenac | #63 | B | B | B− | A− | B+ |
| Washington Township | #112 | C | B+ | — | C+ | C |
Baker Township and Washington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Pittsburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pittsburg grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #143 of 150 in Kansas. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.6 years of the area's median household income ($52,844 across the Pittsburg, KS area).
30 notable people were born here, including Roy Glenn and Dale R. Corson.
