Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,976, settled in 1859.
Dickson City's standout: it has 14 miles of trail. Overall it grades C−, ranked 955th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Its weakest subject is safety: it reports more crime per resident than 82% of U.S. towns, including 15 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Dickson City’s trail density is 2.9 miles per square mile, above both the Pennsylvania town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Dickson City is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 71% of U.S. towns.
Where Dickson City beats most towns.
8.2% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Dickson City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 391 in 1870, a peak of 12,395 in 1930, 6,038 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2026 and 7 maps from 1889 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dickson City, 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 Dickson City.
Dickson City draws workers from Scranton and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports more crime than Blakely and its other graded neighbors.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elm Street Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Dickson City Little League Crystal Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
| 3. VFW Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
5,951 jobs are based in Dickson City, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Dickson City for work: only 7% work in town. 13% of Dickson City residents live below the poverty line, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Dickson City’s median household income is $60,000.
| Dickson City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Blakely (B+) to Scott Township (A+).
The property crime rate in Dickson City is 23.6 per 1,000 residents. Dickson City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 82% report less. The violent crime rate in Dickson City is 2.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Dickson City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.6 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Dickson City has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 16° and about 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dickson City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,895 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dickson City’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Dickson City beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 19% of Dickson City adults smoke cigarettes.
| Dickson City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Dickson City | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.5% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.8% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median property tax bill is $1,647, against $3,311 across Pennsylvania, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
67% of households own their home in Dickson City.
| Dickson City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $997 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dickson City. Close and well known come first.
4 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
21 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
34 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park9 mi Theme parkRocky Glen Park
5 mi GardenNay Aug Park
8 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
8 within 15 miles of the center of Dickson City
About 4 of every 100 Dickson City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Dickson City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 notable people were born in Dickson City.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Dickson City is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, 4 miles (6 km) north of Scranton. Coal mining was an important industry in the past. The borough's population peaked at 12,395 in 1930 and was 6,051 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Dickson City.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Throop (B−) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickson City | #955 | C− | B− | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Throop | #734 | B− | B+ | A− | C+ | C− |
| Olyphant | #539 | B | B− | A | C+ | C+ |
| Blakely | #446 | B+ | B | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Scott Township | #70 | A+ | B− | A+ | A− | B+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dickson City grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #955 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $192,000, 33% 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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Francis Carl Rowinski and Frank Parkinson.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
