15% of Ernest residents live below the poverty line. Its mean commuting time is 29 minutes, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are White Township (19%), Indiana (13%) and Rayne Township (5%). In Ernest, the middle household income is $68,000.

0%work in town

	Ernest	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	$68,000	$81,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Ernest0%

White Township19%

Indiana13%

Rayne Township5%

Pittsburgh2%

19 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Ernest

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageErnest’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here4 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work0% work in Ernest Commute times29 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 19 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Ernest has snowy winters and pleasant summers

Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 19°; snowfall runs to about 46 inches a winter.

46″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter21–38°

Spring36–61°

Summer57–81°

Fall41–63°

Oct 13

typical first frost

May 8

typical last frost

+1.1°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageErnest’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 83°, January lows 19°Rain & snow46″ of snow a winter · 46 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.1° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Who lives here

Younger than Pennsylvania overall

In Ernest, 27% of residents are under 18, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 22%. People 65 and older are just over one in ten residents (20% statewide); children under 18 are 27% of residents (21% statewide). The town’s median age is 35.4 years. Pennsylvania has 35% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 31%.

35.4median age · PA 40.9

	Ernest	Pennsylvania towns	U.S. towns
Aged 65 or older	12%	21%	18%
Under 18	27%	20%	22%
Median age	35.4 years	43.2 years	40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	31%	29%	29%

ErnestPennsylvaniaUnited States

PAU.S.

Ages · share of residents

16%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma6%

High school38%

Some college16%

Associate’s9%

Bachelor’s25%

Graduate7%

Women and men · all residents

49% women, 51% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.5 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Ernest
	Ernest	PA	U.S.
Under 10	12.3%	10.8%	11.6%
10 to 17	14.2%	9.7%	10.3%
18 to 24	6.6%	9%	9.1%
25 to 34	16.4%	13%	13.7%
35 to 44	16.4%	12.6%	13.2%
45 to 54	10.4%	11.9%	12.2%
55 to 64	11.7%	13.6%	12.7%
65 to 74	6.3%	11.4%	10.2%
75 and older	5.7%	8.1%	7%
No diploma	5.7%	7.9%	10.4%
High school	38.4%	32.9%	26%
Some college	16.3%	15.1%	19.1%
Associate’s	8.6%	8.9%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	24.5%	20.9%	21.6%
Graduate	6.5%	14.3%	14.1%

Full pageErnest by the numbersOpen the page

Ages35.4 median age · 12% are 65 or older Schooling31% have a four-year degree Homes70% own their home · Homeowners Income$68K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points

Health

How healthy Ernest is

For adults in Ernest, the share who report frequent mental distress is 20%. The town does better than the Pennsylvania average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 5. Two figures for adults in the town: 21% smoke cigarettes, 20% binge drink.

	Ernest	Pennsylvania towns	U.S. towns
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	20%	16%	17%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	21%	17%	14%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	20%	18%	16%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	41%	35%	35%

26 measures vs. Pennsylvania

4 better17 too close to call5 worse

What stands out	Ernest	PA
Fewer adults with diabetes	9.9%	11.6%
Fewer adults who have had cancer	7.7%	8.8%
More smokers	20.7%	15.8%

Indiana Regional Medical Center

4.9 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageErnest’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby4.9 miles to an ER · Indiana Regional Medical Center How adults are doingMore adults in frequent mental distress Every CDC estimateBetter than PA on 4 of 26

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

The biggest natural risk in Ernest is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level

Households in Ernest have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2004. On expected storm and flood damage, Ernest sits below 57% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 77% come from inland flooding and 6% from landslides.

43risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingLandslides

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageErnest’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters1 federal disaster · Paid out in Ernest Get ready1.9 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Ernest

17pages on Ernest

The big questions

HealthBetter than PA on 4 of 26 CDC measures Cost of livingWork & commute$68K median household income · 4 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 43% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

PlacesAttractions71 nearby · Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site 27 mi LibraryIndiana Free Library Inc CollegesIndiana University of Pennsylvania is 4.3 mi away

The story

HistorySettled 1903 Famous people1 born in Ernest Town Hall & politicsClimate83° summer highs · 46″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 15739 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Ernest

Indiana University of PennsylvaniaUniversity or college · Public · Indiana4.3 mi$11,380 in-state tuition

About 3 of every 100 Ernest residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Ernest for work

Where Ernest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

4jobs based in Ernest

0%of working residents work in town

19 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Ernest

Borough in Pennsylvania, US

Ernest is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 422 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 0.2 sq mi
Elevation: 1,188 ft
ZIP code: 15739

Questions about Ernest

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Ernest, PA a good place to live?

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Moving to Ernest: who provides what

The data

With only 0.0 jobs per working resident, most people in Ernest work out of town