Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ashley grades D overall, 983rd among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. Its public schools trail 82% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, much of its housing is old. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Ashley, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 34 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score lower on civic life.
Where Ashley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Ashley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Ashley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,799 in 1880, a peak of 7,093 in 1930, 2,596 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ashley. Close and well known come first.
18 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
37 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
21 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park
17 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
31 mi Ski areaCamelback Mountain Resort37 runs · 804 ft verticalSteamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Lake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ricketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Camelback Mountain Resort: Calzarette at en.wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ashley, 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 Ashley.
Ashley has homes that are cheap against local pay and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Ashley. Ashley beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 33% of adults get no exercise outside work in Ashley.
| Ashley | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Ashley | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.2% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.5% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 23% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.6 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $171K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. Home values rose 74% in five years, to about $171K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
The typical Ashley home is worth about $171,000, up 5.5% in a year, 41% below the Pennsylvania typical home. 68% of Ashley households own their home.
| Ashley | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,071 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ashley has 241 jobs for its 1,168 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 679 in 2013 to 241.
Most working residents leave Ashley for work: only 1% work in town. Ashley’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Jobs based in Ashley fell to 241 in 2023, 438 fewer than in 2013.
| Ashley | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $311 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Ashley is 72 of 100. Since 1996, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ashley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ashley has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 18° and about 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Pinchot State Forest, at 34 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pinchot State Forest | — | 34 |
| 2. Firemens Memorial Park | — | 3 |
| 3. State Game Lands Number 207 | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 20.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 76% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
5 within 15 miles of the center of Ashley
About 5 of every 100 Ashley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
9 notable people were born in Ashley.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Ashley is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, one mile (1.6 km) from Wilkes-Barre. The population was 2,588 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ashley grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #983 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, B− for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Ashley sits nearer the middle.
That is 2.6 years of the area's median household income ($65,158 across the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
9 notable people were born here, including Walter Tewksbury and Russell David Johnson.
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