Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Erie earns a D, ranked 1014th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, mostly because of schools and health. Its public schools trail 91% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. Residents are less healthy than 88% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 31 places on the National Register. 47% of working residents work locally in Erie, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (6.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Cashier's House and Old Customshouse. On safety, just 53 of Pennsylvania’s 634 towns do worse.
Where Erie beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Cashier's House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pfeiffer-Burleigh Sch | PK–5 | 690 |
| Harding Sch | PK–5 | 633 |
| Grover Cleveland El Sch | PK–5 | 559 |
Its 31 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Pennsylvania towns with a listing.
Census counts: 81 in 1800, a peak of 138,440 in 1960, 94,831 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1818 and 6 maps from 1899 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Erie is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 9%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Erie, 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 Erie.
Erie gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than that grade, Harborcreek Township highest at A.
Its public schools are run by Erie City SD. Of its 27 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. 6 public schools serve Erie, with 3,492 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodrow Wilson MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 769 | D |
| Erie HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,501 | D |
| Northwest PA Collegiate AcademyTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 750 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,385 U.S. towns with household incomes like Erie’s, it is less healthy than 62%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Wesleyville (C) to Millcreek Township (A−).
In Erie, 25% of adults have been diagnosed with depression. The town beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 12. Among adults in the town, 22% smoke cigarettes and 17% report frequent physical distress.
| Erie | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Erie | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.4% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.1% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
McClelland Park, at 60 acres with 1.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Trails total 13 miles in 59 parks and preserves. The trail density in Erie is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Erie | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McClelland Park | 1.7 mi | 60 |
| 2. Frontier Park | 1.1 mi | 33 |
| 3. East Erie Nature Trail Park | 0.8 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Erie’s FEMA risk score stands at 12 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Erie once, in 2004. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 76% come from inland flooding and 6% from strong winds. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1978: 39.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 35.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 91% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
Erie’s property offense rate comes in at 20.2 per 1,000 residents. In Erie, the level of violent crime is 3.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Erie | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.2 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Home values rose 42% in five years, to about $204K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
For renter households in Erie, the share who spend 30% or more of their income on rent is 55%. Home values are up 4.5% over the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: the town’s typical rent is $870 a month.
| Erie | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 78% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $870 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Erie Intl Ap weather station, 6 miles away, records that 104 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
The typical July afternoon high for Erie comes to 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 36,506 working residents takes 18.3 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
The top destinations are Millcreek Township (17%), Summit Township (5%) and Harborcreek Township (3%). For Erie, the middle household income is $46,000. Among residents in the town, 23% live below the poverty line.
| Erie | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.9% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Erie. Close and well known come first.
4 mi State parkPresque Isle State Park4 mi Theme parkWaldameer Park
13 mi LandmarkFort Le Boeuf
35 mi LakeChautauqua Lake
36 mi Theme parkConneaut Lake Park
in town Zoo & aquariumErie ZooPresque Isle State Park: Ruhrfisch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Le Boeuf: Charles M. Stotz ?, Public domain · Chautauqua Lake: Banderas, Public domain · Conneaut Lake Park: daveynin from United States, CC BY 2.0 · Erie Zoo: Pat Noble, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Erie
About 9 of every 100 Erie residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
3 colleges in town.
31 places in Erie on the National Register of Historic Places.
52 notable people were born in Erie.
City in Pennsylvania, United States
Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 as of the 2020 census. The Erie metropolitan area had a population of 270,876 in 2020. Erie is about 80 miles (130 km) from Buffalo, 90 miles (140 km) from Cleveland, and 120 miles (190 km) from Pittsburgh. The city takes its name from the Native American Erie people, who inhabited the area until the mid-17th century. Its nicknames include "Gem City", a reference to its fine natural harbor, the "Gem of the Great Lakes"; and more recently, "Flagship City…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Erie.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Wesleyville (C) is closest. Millcreek Township next door grades higher for schools (A− to Erie’s D) and lower for cost of living (C− to B−).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | #1014 | D | B− | C− | D | D |
| Millcreek Township | #441 | B+ | C− | B | A− | A− |
| Wesleyville | #910 | C | B− | C− | B | C |
| Lawrence Park Township | #563 | B | B | B+ | B | C+ |
| Harborcreek Township | #382 | A− | C+ | — | A | C+ |
| Northwest Harborcreek | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Harborcreek Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Northwest Harborcreek isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Erie with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Erie grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #1014 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($63,354 across the Erie, PA metro area).
52 notable people were born here, including Paul J. Weitz and Marilyn Burns.
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