Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Blakely is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, ranked 446th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 69% of Pennsylvania towns. It also does better than most on safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 68% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $198K, 3 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income. Blakely’s trail density is 3.6 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 168 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do worse. Blakely is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 70% of U.S. towns.
Where Blakely beats most towns.
Where Blakely’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 Blakely is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 659 in 1870, 6,657 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 7 maps from 1889 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Blakely. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
19 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
36 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park11 mi Theme parkRocky Glen Park
6 mi GardenNay Aug Park
10 mi Ski areaMontage Mountain Ski Area25 runs · 998 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 · Nay Aug Park: The Mebane Greeting Card Co., Wilkes-Barre, PA., Public domain · Montage Mountain Ski Area: Montage Mountain Resorts, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blakely, 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 Blakely.
Blakely is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Pennsylvania, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
Blakely sits where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3% on this measure. 14 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blakely Borough Recreation Complex | 0.1 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Valley View SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley View El CtrLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–2 | Grades K–2 | 522 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 2,894 working residents takes 18.4 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Blakely for work: only 5% work in town. Blakely’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. The top destinations are Scranton (19%), Dunmore (6%) and Archbald (6%).
| Blakely | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $378 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Blakely is 74 of 100. Since 1979, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Blakely.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Blakely sits closer to the middle.
| Blakely | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
People 65 and older are 28% of residents (20% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide). 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania. 19% of Blakely residents are under 18.
| Blakely | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 49.6 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
57% women, 43% men
About 75 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.6 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Blakely | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.6% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.1% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.8% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.5% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.8% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.3% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 7,681 U.S. towns with household incomes like Blakely’s, it is healthier than 93%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Blakely beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 32% of adults have obesity in Blakely.
| Blakely | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Blakely | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 88.1% | 85.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Blakely has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median sale price was $213,000 in May 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Blakely
About 3 of every 100 Blakely residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Blakely is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 6,657 at the 2020 census. The Lackawanna River flows through Blakely, and within the borough is the village of Peckville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Blakely.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blakely | #446 | B+ | B | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Archbald | #341 | A− | C+ | A− | B+ | B+ |
| Olyphant | #539 | B | B− | A | C+ | C+ |
| Jessup | #494 | B+ | B− | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Scott Township | #70 | A+ | B− | A+ | A− | B+ |
| Dickson City | #955 | C− | B− | C− | C+ | C+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Blakely grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #446 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B+ for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Blakely sits nearer the middle.
The typical home is worth about $198,000, 31% below 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 B.
2 notable people were born here, including Bill Sienkiewicz and Stan Palys.
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