Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Freeland gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $176K for a typical one, or 2.7 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 763rd among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools trail 85% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household income is $58K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Freeland, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (7.6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Among 1,037 Pennsylvania towns, just 5 have a lower July high than Freeland. Freeland is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Freeland beats most towns.
Where Freeland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Freeland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 624 in 1880, a peak of 7,098 in 1930, 3,833 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Freeland, 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 Freeland.
Freeland is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Freeland’s FEMA risk score is 2 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by Hazleton Area SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeland El/MSLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 991 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
At 2.7 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $176K) costs less against local pay than in 76% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. Home values rose 42% in five years, to about $176K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
50% of Freeland households own their home. Typical home values rose 5% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Freeland is $939 a month.
| Freeland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $939 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Freeland has 287 jobs for its 1,531 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 384 in 2013 to 287.
Most working residents leave Freeland for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Freeland has lost 97 jobs, to 287 in 2023. The top destinations are Hazle Township (22%), West Hazleton (7%) and Hazleton (5%).
| Freeland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Freeland sits closer to the middle.
| Freeland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 77.5°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 15.1°.
Freeland has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. About 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,273 U.S. towns with household incomes like Freeland’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Freeland beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 39% of adults have obesity in Freeland.
| Freeland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Freeland | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.3% | 5.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.2% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 82.6% | 85.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Freeland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Freeland Public Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
| 2. 4th Ward Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Freeland. Close and well known come first.
36 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom33 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
29 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
11 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
29 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park
36 mi Stadium & arenaPPL CenterDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ricketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Freeland
About 6 of every 100 Freeland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Freeland is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was originally called Birbeckville, South Heberton, and Freehold. Freeland is 18 miles (29 km) south of Wilkes-Barre and 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Hazleton. It was incorporated as a borough on September 11, 1876. Coal mining was the chief industry in the community through the mid-20th century. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,833.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Freeland grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #763 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health, B+ for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Freeland sits nearer the middle.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
2 notable people were born here, including Andy O'Donnell and Robert Nagel.
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