Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,093, settled in 1901.
Brackenridge gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $116K, 1.5 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 496th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. 15% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Brackenridge, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%.
Where Brackenridge beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Brackenridge’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 Brackenridge is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for hazard risk (better than 8%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,134 in 1910, a peak of 6,400 in 1940, 3,240 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 5 maps from 1907 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brackenridge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
17 mi Theme parkKennywood
18 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
18 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
18 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
18 mi LandmarkFort PittAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · 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 · Fort Pitt: Downtown_Pittsburgh_May_2008.jpg: Allie Caufield derivative work: GrapedApe (tal, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brackenridge, 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 Brackenridge.
Brackenridge is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
At 1.5 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $116K) costs less against local pay than in 96% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
The share of households in Brackenridge who live in a home they own: 67%. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 12% in value. The town’s median rent comes in at $778 a month.
| Brackenridge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $778 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its one school is below. Public schools: Highlands SD. 205 students attend Brackenridge’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands Early Childhood CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–K | Grades PK–K | 205 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $566 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Flood insurance has paid out on 7 claims in Brackenridge since 1978. 92% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2004.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 1,642 in 2013 to 863.
The median commute is under 15 miles. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Brackenridge dropped by 779, to 863. Most people who work leave Brackenridge to do it: just 2% work in town. For Brackenridge, the typical household income is $50,000.
| Brackenridge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.5% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 21°, with about 29 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 5,857 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brackenridge’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Brackenridge beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes here. Among adults locally, 19% binge drink and 37% have high blood pressure.
| Brackenridge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Brackenridge | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.6% | 79.2% |
| More smokers | 19.2% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Brackenridge
About 7 of every 100 Brackenridge residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
4 notable people were born in Brackenridge.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Brackenridge is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Allegheny River. It is part of the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The town is named for Henry Marie Brackenridge. The borough once had glass factories. An Allegheny Technologies steel mill, Allegheny Ludlum Brackenridge Works, plays a prominent role in the community, although most of the facility is located in Harrison Township. The borough's population stood at 3,421 in 1910 and at 6,400 in 1940. As of the 2020 census, it was 3,240.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Brackenridge.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brackenridge | #496 | B+ | A | — | C | B− |
| Harrison Township | #407 | B+ | A− | A− | C | B− |
| Natrona Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Natrona | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tarentum | #778 | C+ | A | B | C | C− |
Brackenridge reports no FBI crime data of its own. Natrona Heights and Natrona aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Brackenridge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Brackenridge grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #496 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
4 notable people were born here, including Ronald Robertson and Cookie Gilchrist.
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