Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bloomsburg is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 687th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 64% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $52K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $262K, 4.1 years of the Bloomsburg area’s $65K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Bloomsburg, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 7.6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Bloomsburg is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. Bloomsburg is home to Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania.
Where Bloomsburg beats most towns.
Rupert Covered Bridge No. 56
Census counts: 1,626 in 1820, 12,711 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1947 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Bloomsburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bloomsburg, 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 Bloomsburg.
Bloomsburg is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
37.8% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.1% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 35.4% of households own their home, against 69.3% across Pennsylvania.
10% of Bloomsburg residents are under 18. Bloomsburg has grown 5.2% since 2020, to 13,375 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Bloomsburg is 24.3 years.
| Bloomsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 24.3 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 10% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 24.4, men 24.0.
| Bloomsburg | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.4% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.7% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 42.9% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.6% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.8% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 44.6% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.2% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.8% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.5% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by Bloomsburg Area SD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bloomsburg Area HS, with 362 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 405 | C+ |
| Bloomsburg Area HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 362 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
4.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Bloomsburg’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Bloomsburg Town Park, at 50 acres.
| Bloomsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Streater Park | 0.7 mi | 38 |
| 2. Bloomsburg Town Park | 0.6 mi | 50 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Bloomsburg has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,313 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bloomsburg’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
22% of adults have high blood pressure in Bloomsburg. Only 3 of the 1,035 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Bloomsburg. 7.3% of adults have diabetes in Bloomsburg.
| Bloomsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Bloomsburg | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.3% | 11.6% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 23.9% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 4,062 working residents takes 14.7 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Bloomsburg for work: only 15% work in town. The top destinations are Mahoning Township (9%), Scott Township (5%) and Hemlock Township (4%). Half commute less than 18 miles.
| Bloomsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026. Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 7 have a lower share of households owning their home than Bloomsburg.
| Bloomsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 35% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $980 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
858 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 184 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 858 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bloomsburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 20.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 76% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bloomsburg
College town 38 of every 100 Bloomsburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
2 places in Bloomsburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Bloomsburg.
Town in Pennsylvania, United States
Bloomsburg is a town in and the county seat of Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Wilkes-Barre along the Susquehanna River. As of the 2020 census, Bloomsburg had a population of 12,711. Bloomsburg is one of two principal communities of the Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers all of Columbia county, and had a combined population of 67,295 at the 2010 census. Bloomsburg is the only incorporated "town" in Pennsylvania. Nonetheless, Bloomsburg operates mostly like a borough, with a council, mayor, fire department, police department and other operations. All other in…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Bloomsburg.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomsburg | #687 | B− | B | B− | B− | B |
| Hemlock Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | B |
| Montour Township | — | — | B− | A− | B− | B |
| Mount Pleasant Township | — | — | B− | — | A | B |
| Fernville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rupert | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Catawissa Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scott Township | #533 | B | C | B+ | A | B |
Hemlock Township, Montour Township and Mount Pleasant Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Hemlock Township and Mount Pleasant Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Fernville, Rupert and Catawissa Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bloomsburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bloomsburg grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #687 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B for health, B− for safety and B− for schools.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Bloomsburg sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
25 notable people were born here, including Haldan Keffer Hartline and Krysten Ritter.
