Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,619, settled in 1781.
Arnold grades D overall, 1006th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. Its crime rate is higher than 90% of U.S. towns, with 48 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: a typical home costs about $83K, 1.1 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Arnold, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 7.6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 108 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns score lower on hazard risk. Arnold is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Arnold beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,428 in 1900, a peak of 10,898 in 1940, 4,772 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1989 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Arnold is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Arnold. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
14 mi Theme parkKennywood
16 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
16 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
15 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
16 mi LandmarkFort PittAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · PPG Paints Arena: Jleedev, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Pitt: Downtown_Pittsburgh_May_2008.jpg: Allie Caufield derivative work: GrapedApe (tal, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Arnold, 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 Arnold.
Arnold is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 5 times the Pennsylvania rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
At 1.1 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $83K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Values fell 19.2% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
60% of households own their home in Arnold. Typical home values fell 19% in the year to September 2026. Arnold’s median rent is $846 a month.
| Arnold | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $846 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by New Kensington-Arnold SD. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy A. Hunt El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 609 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,156 U.S. towns with household incomes like Arnold’s, it is less healthy than 75%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
24% of Arnold adults smoke cigarettes. Arnold beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 46% of Arnold adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Arnold | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Arnold | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 25.9% | 14.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.3% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 10.4 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D.
The violent crime rate in Arnold is 10.4 per 1,000 residents. Arnold reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. The property crime rate in Arnold is 14 per 1,000 residents.
| Arnold | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Arnold for work: only 7% work in town. The top destinations are Pittsburgh (15%), New Kensington (7%) and Monroeville (3%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Arnold | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $420 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Arnold.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Arnold has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Arnold | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fireman's Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 4 |
| 2. City of Arnold - 18th Street Baseball Field | 0.1 mi | 3 |
| 3. Roosevelt Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
9 within 15 miles of the center of Arnold
About 3 of every 100 Arnold residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Arnold’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 notable people were born in Arnold.
City in Pennsylvania, US
Arnold is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 4,772 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Arnold.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold | #1006 | D | A | D | C− | D |
| New Kensington | #970 | C− | A− | C− | C− | C− |
| East Deer Township | — | — | A+ | — | A− | B− |
East Deer Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. East Deer Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Arnold with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Arnold grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #1006 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
4 notable people were born here, including Johnny Costa and Emellia Prokopik.
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