Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clairton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $156K, 2.1 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 963rd of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $37K, and 33% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Clairton, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 7.6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 5 of the 1,035 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a lower median household income than Clairton. The biggest park or preserve is Clairton Park, at 53 acres.
Where Clairton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Clairton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,326 in 1910, a peak of 19,652 in 1950, 6,181 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 5 maps from 1904 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clairton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi MuseumFallingwater
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
6 mi Theme parkKennywood
12 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
12 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
11 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints ArenaFallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Acrisure 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clairton, 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 Clairton.
Clairton is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the Pennsylvania rate.
Against the 1,530 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clairton’s, it is healthier than 56%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Glassport (C) to Jefferson Hills (A).
18% of Clairton adults report frequent physical distress. Clairton beats the Pennsylvania average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 28% of Clairton adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Clairton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Clairton | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.2% | 18.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.3% | 79.2% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.5% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C−, Jefferson Hills highest at A.
Its public schools are run by Clairton City SD. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Clairton MS/HS, with 407 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clairton El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 348 | D |
| Clairton MS/HSLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 407 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
2.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Clairton’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Clairton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clairton Park | 0.4 mi | 53 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.1 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $156K) costs less against local pay than in 89% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. Values fell 3.2% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
61% of households own their home in Clairton. The typical Clairton home is worth about $156,000, 46% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Clairton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,009 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Clairton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Clairton for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Clairton is 31 minutes. Since 2013, Clairton has lost 417 jobs, to 1,930 in 2023.
| Clairton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Clairton's reported crime rate is close to Pennsylvania's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 25 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Clairton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 11.7 per 1,000 residents | 6.7 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clairton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
12 within 15 miles of the center of Clairton
About 2 of every 100 Clairton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
14 notable people were born in Clairton.
City in Pennsylvania, US
Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Monongahela River and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 6,181 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 5,945 in 2024. Under Pennsylvania legal classifications for local governments, Clairton is considered a third-class city. It is home to the Clairton Coke Works operated by U.S. Steel, the largest coke manufacturing facility in North America.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Clairton.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Glassport (C) is closest. Jefferson Hills next door grades higher for schools (A to Clairton’s C−) and lower for cost of living (C− to A−).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clairton | #963 | C− | A− | — | C− | D |
| Jefferson Hills | #200 | A | C− | A− | A | A |
| Lincoln | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Glassport | #857 | C | A | C+ | C | C |
| West Mifflin | #731 | B− | A− | C− | C | B− |
Clairton reports no FBI crime data of its own. Lincoln isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Clairton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clairton grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #963 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health 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−.
14 notable people were born here, including Claudine Schneider and Lance Parrish.
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