Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Its weakest is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $313K, 3.7 years of the East Stroudsburg area’s $84K median household income. The town’s overall grade, C, puts it better than 29% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 888th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Incomes are weaker too (C−): the median household income is $60K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. Walkability is its strong suit: it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. East Stroudsburg’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where East Stroudsburg beats most towns.
East Stroudsburg Railroad Station
Census counts: 1,162 in 1880, 9,669 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1856.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far East Stroudsburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Stroudsburg. Close and well known come first.
2 mi National park siteMiddle Delaware National Scenic River4.1M visitors a year
35 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
26 mi LakeLake Musconetcong
28 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
10 mi Ski areaCamelback Mountain Resort37 runs · 804 ft vertical
34 mi MountainHigh PointMiddle Delaware National Scenic River: Mike Serfas, Public domain · Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Musconetcong: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Camelback Mountain Resort: Calzarette at en.wikipedia, Public domain · High Point: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in East Stroudsburg, 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 East Stroudsburg.
East Stroudsburg is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Stroud Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Trails run 2.9 miles in 5 parks and preserves. For East Stroudsburg, the trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| East Stroudsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dansbury Community Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
| 2. Zacharias Pond Park | 0.4 mi | 16 |
| 3. Creekview Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by East Stroudsburg Area SD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The largest public high school is East Stroudsburg SHS South, with 1,359 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| J M Hill El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 471 | C− |
| East Stroudsburg SHS SouthLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,359 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
5,861 jobs are based in East Stroudsburg, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most people who work leave East Stroudsburg to do it: just 11% work in town. Jobs based in the town fell to 5,861 in 2023, 514 fewer than in 2013. Half commute less than 28 miles. The mean commuting time in the town is 29 minutes.
| East Stroudsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Federal disaster aid has reached households in East Stroudsburg after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. Compared with 77% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. FEMA puts 54% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 22% to cold waves. One flood insurance claim has been paid in the town since 2005.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
22.6% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.1% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
For East Stroudsburg, the median age is 33.8 years. Adults 18 to 34 are just over a third of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 30% of residents (38% statewide). Among residents here, 17% are under 18. This Pennsylvania town has lost 2.4% of its people since 2020, down to 9,438 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| East Stroudsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.8 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 21% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 35 to 44, 71% are women (PA 50%).
| East Stroudsburg | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.3% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 25.6% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.3% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.3% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.9% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.7% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
A winter brings about 42 inches of snow, with January nights at 18° and July afternoons at 84°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,868 U.S. towns with household incomes like East Stroudsburg’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
The share of adults in East Stroudsburg who smoke cigarettes: 14%. On the CDC’s 26 measures, East Stroudsburg is ahead of Pennsylvania on 8 and behind on 4. In East Stroudsburg, 41% of adults sleep under 7 hours, and 19% report frequent mental distress.
| East Stroudsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | East Stroudsburg | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6% | 7.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.9% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow values the typical East Stroudsburg home at about $313,000, up 2% in a year, 9% above the Pennsylvania typical home. The town’s going rate for rent is $1,479 a month. 53% of households live in a home they own here.
| East Stroudsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,479 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of East Stroudsburg
College town 23 of every 100 East Stroudsburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
2 places in East Stroudsburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in East Stroudsburg.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
East Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, and part of the Pocono Mountains region of the state. Originally known as Dansbury, East Stroudsburg was renamed for geographic reasons when the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad opened a station in East Stroudsburg. Despite its name being derivative of its bordering borough, Stroudsburg, it has almost twice the population. East Stroudsburg is the largest municipality in Monroe County and in the East Stroudsburg, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of East Stroudsburg was 9,847. East Stroudsburg is located 42 miles (68 km) northeast of Allentown, 102 miles (164 km) north of Philadelphi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with East Stroudsburg.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Stroudsburg | #888 | C | C− | — | C+ | B |
| Smithfield Township | #829 | C+ | C− | — | C+ | B |
| Stroud Township | #800 | C+ | C− | — | B− | B− |
| Arlington Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stroudsburg | #914 | C | D | — | B− | B− |
East Stroudsburg, Smithfield Township, Stroud Township and Stroudsburg report no FBI crime data of their own. Arlington Heights isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare East Stroudsburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
East Stroudsburg grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #888 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B for health and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
13 notable people were born here, including Jayson Terdiman and Shelby Starner.
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