Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,139, settled in 1934. Public schools that outperform most of Pennsylvania.
Trash & recyclingFox Chapel is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 7th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. Its schools score near the top of Pennsylvania on tests and graduation, it reports less crime per resident than 98% of U.S. towns, and it is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $901K, 11.9 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. 86% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Fox Chapel, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. On history, just 72 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. Fox Chapel's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Fox Chapel beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Shady Side Academy Country Day School | PK–5 | 197 |
| Shady Side Academy | PK–12 | 1,221 |
| Shady Side Academy | PK–12 | 1,220 |
| Widest gap | Fox Chapel | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 14.5% |
10% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Fox Chapel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,080 in 1940, 5,343 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 2 maps from 1908 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fox Chapel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
9 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
8 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
10 mi Theme parkKennywood
8 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
9 mi LandmarkFort PittAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · PPG Paints Arena: Jleedev, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Pitt: Downtown_Pittsburgh_May_2008.jpg: Allie Caufield derivative work: GrapedApe (tal, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fox Chapel, 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 Fox Chapel.
Fox Chapel has schools in the top 5% of Pennsylvania and has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Pennsylvania.
12 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Fox Chapel’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Trillium Trail, 198 acres with 1.9 miles of trail.
| Fox Chapel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 10% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beechwood Farms | 3.9 mi | 120 |
| 2. Trillium Trail | 1.9 mi | 198 |
| 3. Riding Meadow Park | 1.2 mi | 46 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 1,037 Pennsylvania towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $901K.
Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shady Side Academy Country Day School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 197 | – |
| Shady Side Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 1,221 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Fox Chapel is 1 per 1,000 residents.
| Fox Chapel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 6.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide. Against the 479 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fox Chapel’s, it is less healthy than 53%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
11% of Fox Chapel adults report frequent mental distress. No town among the 1,035 in Pennsylvania we compare has a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Fox Chapel. 9.5% of Fox Chapel adults report frequent physical distress.
| Fox Chapel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 17% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Fox Chapel | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 14.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 5.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 4,530 in 2013 to 1,009.
Of the 1,035 Pennsylvania towns we compare, none has a higher median household income than Fox Chapel. 3.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Fox Chapel. Since 2013, Fox Chapel has lost 3,521 jobs, to 1,009 in 2023.
| Fox Chapel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $244,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fox Chapel.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fox Chapel has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 21° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 11.9 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in any other Pennsylvania town; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
15 within 15 miles of the center of Fox Chapel
About 4 of every 100 Fox Chapel residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Fox Chapel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Fox Chapel is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a suburb of Pittsburgh located 6 miles (10 km) northeast of downtown. The population was 5,343 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Fox Chapel.
At #7 in PA, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Indiana Township (A+) comes closest. Harmar Township next door grades lower for schools (C+ to Fox Chapel’s A+) and higher for cost of living (B to C−).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Chapel | #7 | A+ | C− | A+ | A+ | A+ |
| O'Hara Township | #60 | A+ | D | A+ | A+ | A |
| Indiana Township | #31 | A+ | C− | A+ | A+ | A |
| Harmar Township | #520 | B | B | C | C+ | A |
| Aspinwall | #135 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
Aspinwall reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Fox Chapel with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Fox Chapel grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #7 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A+ for health, A+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $901,000, 214% above 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 C−.
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