Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,038, settled in 1889.
Bessemer’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for schools and the outdoors; its weakest is a D for walkability. That puts Bessemer below both Pennsylvania’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). On cost of living, just 12 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Bessemer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bessemer beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Bessemer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,417 in 1920, a peak of 2,001 in 1930, 1,073 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1886 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bessemer, 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 Bessemer.
The typical Bessemer home is worth about $138,000, up 4.5% in a year, 52% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Bessemer’s median rent is $869 a month, below both the Pennsylvania town median ($1,115 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Bessemer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $869 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Bessemer for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Bessemer fell to 67 in 2023, 109 fewer than in 2013. The median household income in Bessemer is $66,000.
| Bessemer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Bessemer has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 19° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bessemer's reported crime rate is well below Pennsylvania's. Bessemer’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes.
| Bessemer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Bessemer beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Bessemer.
| Bessemer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Bessemer | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Bessemer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bessemer Lake Park | 0.1 mi | 16 |
| 2. Kennedy Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bessemer. Close and well known come first.
12 mi MuseumButler Institute of American Art
25 mi AttractionChester teapot
30 mi MuseumOld Economy Village
9 mi Theme parkCascade Park15 mi MuseumAir Heritage Aviation MuseumButler Institute of American Art: Lorinda Dixon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chester teapot: Navy2004, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Economy Village: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cascade Park: Pianotech, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bessemer
About 4 of every 100 Bessemer residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Bessemer’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Bessemer is a borough in western Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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+.
2 notable people were born here, including Frank M. Clark and Alex Urban.
