Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 2,889 residents, this town was settled in 1968.
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Its strongest is safety: it reports less crime per resident than 95% of U.S. towns. Harveys Lake’s overall A− puts it 369th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It comes out better than 77% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $268K, 4.1 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income. Walkability is weaker too. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. Only 22 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns score lower on the outdoors.
Figures: FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US.
Where Harveys Lake beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Harveys Lake | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 14.2% | 18.7% |
Where Harveys Lake’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 Harveys Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,693 in 1970, 2,788 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harveys Lake, 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 Harveys Lake.
Harveys Lake pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Pennsylvania norm and is a second-home town, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
Reported crimes rose from 2 to 16 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Harveys Lake’s level of property crime is 4.9 per 1,000 residents, below both the Pennsylvania town median (5.7) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Its level of violent crime is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Harveys Lake | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Lake-Lehman SD runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 236 students attend Harveys Lake’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake-Noxen El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 236 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Its A− for health tops all 3 graded neighbors; Dallas Township (B+) comes closest.
The share of adults in Harveys Lake who get no exercise outside work: 19%. This Pennsylvania town beats the Pennsylvania average on 10 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 2. In Harveys Lake, 14% of adults report frequent mental distress, against 16% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 17% across U.S. towns.
| Harveys Lake | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Harveys Lake | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 14.2% | 18.7% |
| Fewer smokers | 12% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Harveys Lake has 309 jobs for its 1,190 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 36.4 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Harveys Lake for work: only 5% work in town. The town’s typical journey to work is 36 minutes. Since 2013, Harveys Lake has lost 54 jobs, to 309 in 2023. Among residents locally, 5.1% live below the poverty line.
| Harveys Lake | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Compared with 77% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Harveys Lake is lower. 71% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 12%. The national flood insurance program has paid 9 claims in the town since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
20.1% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 2.5% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
A bachelor’s degree or higher: 44% of adults 25 and older, vs 35% across Pennsylvania. People 65 and older are 29% of residents (20% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (21% statewide). Also worth knowing: for Harveys Lake, the midpoint age is 49.6 years. This Pennsylvania town has grown 3.5% since 2020, to 2,889 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Harveys Lake | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 49.6 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.6 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 83% are men (PA 51%).
| Harveys Lake | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.4% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.7% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 22.2% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.5% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.9% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.2% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.9% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
The midsummer high in Harveys Lake is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Harveys Lake grades A− overall with a typical home of about $268K, below the Pennsylvania typical value; only 34 of the 112 Pennsylvania towns graded A− or better can say that.
For Harveys Lake, the median rent is $1,375 a month. Zillow values the typical Harveys Lake home at about $268,000, up 1.3% in a year, 7% below the Pennsylvania typical home. On the market in the town: a median 13 days to sell.
| Harveys Lake | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,375 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harveys Lake. Close and well known come first.
11 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park
19 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
29 mi State parkHickory Run State Park17 mi Theme parkRocky Glen Park
28 mi State parkWorlds End State Park
20 mi Ski areaMontage Mountain Ski Area25 runs · 998 ft verticalRicketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Worlds End State Park: Nicholas, CC BY 2.0 · Montage Mountain Ski Area: Montage Mountain Resorts, CC BY-SA 4.0
5 within 15 miles of the center of Harveys Lake
About 4 of every 100 Harveys Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Harveys Lake is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Back Mountain, a 118 square miles (310 km2) region in northern Luzerne County. The borough is named after the lake, its principal feature, which in turn was named after Benjamin Harvey, a local settler. Harvey was a member of the Sons of Liberty, an eminent colonial-era group that fought against Great Britain's Stamp Act of 1765. As of the 2020 census, the population of the borough of Harveys Lake was 2,786.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Harveys Lake.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harveys Lake | #369 | A− | C− | A+ | A− | A− |
| Lake Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B |
| Lehman Township | #633 | B | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Dallas Township | #245 | A | C− | A | A− | B+ |
Lake Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Lake Township and Lehman Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Harveys Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Harveys Lake grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #369 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. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
