Dalzell House, 228 Dalzell Avenue
Ben Avon’s story
135 years in pictures
Census counts: 859 in 1900, a peak of 2,713 in 1970, 1,918 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 5 maps from 1906 on.
- 1891Ben Avon is settled
Ben AvonPA
A town of 1,824, settled in 1891.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,824
2025 Census estimate · −5% since 2020
Median home value
$345K
Census ACS
Household income
$103K
median
Median age
39.1
years
Jobs based here
144
A commuter town
Is Ben Avon a good place to live?
Ben Avon’s best subject grades are an A+ for walkability and schools and an A for health; its weakest is a C− for cost of living. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ben Avon, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. On health, just 70 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Ben Avon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ben Avon stand out
Where Ben Avon beats most towns.
WalkabilityA+
More walkable than 96% of U.S. towns
5.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
16 better9 too close to call1 worse
| Widest gap | Ben Avon | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.4% | 14.5% |
HealthA
Healthier than 93% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Ben Avon for work
Where Ben Avon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
144jobs based in Ben Avon
2%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Ben Avon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Ben Avon is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 14.1 of 20; 4.8% of households have no carA+Open →SchoolsBeat 95% of Pennsylvania districts on tests and graduationA+Open →HealthAllegheny General Hospital 5.3 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $345K, 4.5 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household incomeC−Open →Jobs & incomeA−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksB−Open →HistoryBOpen →Civic life3.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 78 attractions →Acrisure Stadium and 56 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ben Avon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
6 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
6 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
7 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
14 mi Theme parkKennywood
6 mi LandmarkFort PittSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Acrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Pitt: Downtown_Pittsburgh_May_2008.jpg: Allie Caufield derivative work: GrapedApe (tal, CC BY 2.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ben Avon: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ben Avon, and how to reach them.
PowerDuquesne Light23.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWest View Water AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ben Avon’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAllegheny County Board of ElectionsAllegheny County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code1520215202 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ben Avon.
HealthA
Ben Avon stands out in Pennsylvania and nationally, with fewer of its adults who have high blood pressure
26% of adults have high blood pressure in Ben Avon, below both Pennsylvania’s towns (34%) and U.S. towns (35%). 8.4% of adults have diabetes in Ben Avon. Ben Avon beats the Pennsylvania average on 16 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
93%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Ben Avon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
16 better9 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Ben Avon | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.4% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.4% | 3.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 22.2% | 18.3% |
Allegheny General Hospital
5.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Ben Avon has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Ben Avon for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Ben Avon has added 87 jobs, to 144 in 2023. Ben Avon’s median household income is $103,000.
2%work in town
| Ben Avon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $103,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Ben Avon2%
Pittsburgh37%
McCandless Township4%
Ohio Township3%
Ross Township3%
7 mi
median commute distance
144
jobs based in Ben Avon
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Ben Avon has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Ben Avon has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 21° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
44″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–40°
Spring40–62°
Summer60–82°
Fall44–64°
Oct 27
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade C−
A home in Ben Avon sells for about $635K at the median
The median rent in Ben Avon is $1,393 a month.
$635Kmedian sale price
| Ben Avon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,393 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 78% | 73% |
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Ben Avon
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ben Avon.
50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
4
paid flood claims since 1979
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ben Avon
17pages on Ben Avon
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
15 within 15 miles of the center of Ben Avon
Rosedale Technical CollegeCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Pittsburgh3.8 mi$17,402 tuitionCommunity College of Allegheny CountyCommunity college · Public · Pittsburgh5 mi$4,842 in-state tuitionUniversity of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusUniversity or college · Public · Pittsburgh8 mi$21,926 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Ben Avon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Ben Avon
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Ben Avon is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,918 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The name, Ben Avon, comes from Scottish for "hill by the waters".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1891
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 928 ft
- Area code
- 412
Ben Avon’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Ben Avon.
EmsworthKilbuck TownshipNeville TownshipAvalonBen Avon
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Avon | — | — | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Emsworth | — | — | C+ | — | A+ | A− |
| Kilbuck Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Neville Township | — | — | A− | — | C | B |
| Avalon | #360 | A− | B− | B+ | B− | B+ |
Ben Avon, Emsworth and Neville Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Ben Avon, Emsworth and Neville Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Kilbuck Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ben Avon with a neighbor →
Questions about Ben Avon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ben Avon, PA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $345,000, 20% above the Pennsylvania typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.